The Infamous PIGMINT ART Blog That Is Just So Pigminty FRESH!

2008-10-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

I've been busy.....

This is my buddy Trevz of The New Pop. He is the one who directed the 3 episodes recapping all the exciting events of 2006. :)

This is Migz, the AR.Change.L, whose music and art can be viewed at www.artrhymeschangelife.com
The Obama and Jesus graphic has been added as sections to my Cafepress.Com store. You can access the store here.

2008-09-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

oooo....i had fun this weekend. this is my new alter-ego, the catcaller killer. hehehe.

2008-09-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a million years, literally.....If I remember correctly, my friend Trevor, who directed my last episode on selling Friendship 101 to Jim Hanley's Universe, he jokingly recorded me pretending it was years later, and my life had totally flopped.

Well, thank GOD that isn't the case, but I have been extremely busy. There have been some not-so-wonderful moments, but I did come out unscathed (physically). Psychologically, heh, I'm not sure....really.

Well the best part about everything is that I have found somewhat new inspiration for art. The last two years I kind of went dead with creativity. All of my energy (well, most of it) went to my graduate work for my Masters in Education, and to my full-time position as a special needs classroom teacher.

The reason why I'm blogging now is because, 1) I'm done with grad school and I actually have two things I didn't have before, energy and time, and 2) because I have actually started drawing again which is somewhat of a miracle. So, in order for me to keep the momentum going, I thought I should start blogging again. It is rather pathetic how I haven't kept up with this blog, but the cool thing is is that I still have entries from 2005. That's kinda cool. I was reading some old posts and was tickled with how much vitality I had in my earlier posts. I really miss the free-spirited lifestyle I used to have, but then again, my life was completely different. Having no responsibilities, other than to feed yourself, is kind of an easy life.

Anyway. So new art. The above is an Obama piece I did just now. I plan on putting it on Cafepress so that I can make some mula, hopefully. I'm so broke right now, I would love to make money off of my art. I'm willing to draw anything at this point.

Lola's Boutique, which is a lovely women's store right below my apartment, took interest in my work and has asked me to come up with religious iconic cartoons for a jewelry design idea. I drew a cartoon Jesus and colored him pink and had a blast. I'll post it at the end of this post. Who knows where the design will take me but it's going up on Cafepress too.

Hopefully this new momentum will get the James and Ophelia stuff going. It's been awhile, and I've been sitting on publishing Romance 101 for nearly 2 years now. I'm really due for some new drawings and website update, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed. You know how inspiration can just disappear like that.

Hope all is well. Enjoy bleeding Jesus, and....

Happy entrails.

2007-10-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

New Blog.

I started a new blog for James and Ophelia related topics. See it here: http://jamesandophelia.blogspot.com. Doesn't mean I won't update this any, I still will post on here regarding other art projects. Stay tuned.

2007-10-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

MegaGwin Show @ Long Beach, CA!

2007-10-07T22:55:00.001-07:00

Gwins!

Migz and I finished our Gwins! Hopefully we can get them in time for the Mega Gwin Show in Long Beach, Cali on the 13th. FEDEX!

2007-09-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm back.

Wow, it has a been a million years. I do plan on getting back to this and being more active in the art community. The problem is that I am so bogged down by work and my professional life that I have had zero time to put my heart into art - my first love.

There is a little bit of news. Hopefully if all goes well, my Gwin will be featured in a Gwin Army show October 13th, in Long Beach, CA. This all depends on if I finish my Gwin on TIME....which is the challenge. Visit the Gwin Army. Next, Miguel Torres and I do plan on coming up with another collaborative piece, the first which is posted up top. Next, there is a little good news to report - that is that I have the #1 (sometimes #2) selling lesbian design on CafePress.Com. I think that's pretty awesome. You can check out the design here.

There's also the three episodes that Trev did of me for his New Pop Sensation series. There is talk about other episodes coming out as well, but it's still in the works. You can view the episodes at either my myspace or my PigmintArt.Com site in the About Me section.

Be patient, fans. I'll be coming back soon.

2006-10-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Change.

It's amazing how so many things can change over the course of 5 or 6 months. It's been awhile since I've blogged, so I apologize for my slacking in keeping everyone up to date. I don't even know if anyone really reads this anymore, but hopefully there will be some new changes soon.

Over the summer I had to make art a second, maybe even third priority since I started my graduate program at L.I.U., while continuing to pamper my new puppy, Nicodemus. He is now a big 50-60 lbs puppy about to turn 8 months with a jumping up and whining problem. He's a fairly good pup, but right now he isn't getting the loving he wants and deserves. It's because Mommy's too busy at her new job.

As of late August I am a special needs teacher for grades 1, 2, and 3 at a public school right in my neighborhood. I'm now into my second month of teaching and I won't lie, it's tough. My kids are beautiful. They just have a lot (A LOT) of issues. They are a source of inspiration for me though, and will continue to be for my work.

While there have been many changes in my life, my work has migrated back to the top of the priority list. When I leave work and I am not in school, I am working on new projects. I have two 101 series that are currently in the works, and a coloring book in the process of being printed. The two 101 series are Redflags 101 and Love 101. I'm also continuing to work on The James & Ophelia Costume Party which is a fairly lengthy project of me shoving James & Ophelia into crazy, colorful, humorous costumes.

Unsuspectedly, networking has returned as a priority. In June I had a show at the Niagra, which is a bar in the Lower East Side, with the Antagonist Art Movement. It was such a successful show that I asked how I would go about showing again. They said that I can just schedule a date and that if I wanted, I could handpick the other artists...so I did.

September 21st I had my second show there, and this time it was with all my artist friends who I invited. The roster included my talented roommate who is a photographer, Carrie Villines, Brandon Lyon (who flew all the way from Tennessee), my classmate, Miguel Torres, my friend the Eenkist, Jason Tirendi, my friend Amy Shawley, and my friend Victor Timofeev. It was an extremely successful night (although long - it lasted til after 2AM, and we got home around 3AM) ...so successful that I was asked to curate again! The next show will be December 14th. I believe Carrie and Miguel will be joining me again.

Sometime in the summer I was approached by David Baker who asked me if I was interested in doing a strip for his new pet newspaper, Dig n' Scratch. After meeting with the crew back in August, we are compiling all our work and coming out with the first edition at the beginning of November. My strip, which is called, Nicodemus, will be featured in every issue...and I think it will be in color!

Next, back in, I think, May, I was featured in a music video with talents such as DJ Empress, and Aphrolyph. We filmed in this crazy awesome building on the corner of Metropolitan and Driggs in Williamsburg. Trevor, who recruited us and directed the video, and I became friends after the event (as did me and several of the other artists). Later during the summer he asked me if I'd be interested in starring in his new documentary on Brooklyn-based artists, and I couldn't say no. Right now, we're in the middle of filming, and it's been so exciting and a lot of fun.

If I am not working on enough projects..here's one more that roommate Carrie and I are working on now. We're turning our apartment into a state-of-the-art gallery. :) Yes, that's right. I'm in the middle of recruiting my artists and promoting our opening show which will be on Saturday, November 4th. The gallery is called, "The CVVC Gallery," since Carrie and I both have V and C as our initials, only in reversed order. Our first newsletter issue will be called, "Cat Vomit," an acronym for CV. You can add us on myspace at myspace.com/cvvcgallery.

Well, that was the longest blog ever. Time to get out of these pjs.

Good things,
Vanissa.

2006-05-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

2006-04-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

April: The Spring Month

So it's been a few weeks since my last blog. When I got back from Blacksburg I just got to work and really haven't stopped since. Things have been changing like the season here in NYC, and it's just really crazy how much has happened.

The booksigning was indeed a success. Since then I have continued to sell more books on my own, and my production guy has come out with a newly self-published version of Friendship 101 which is to die for. It looks better than some actual published comics in the stores...It's one and the same, if not better..seriously, I am a very lucky person.

This month has been the month of...Hmm. Decisions. Big ones. And publicity. At the end of March I got accepted into the NYC Teaching Fellows program which is alike Teach For America. Basically the hire you as a full-time, full-salaried teacher and throw you to the dogs in the high-needs areas of the city. Most recently I have been placed in Williamsburg, working with elementar school aged children who are of the emotionally disturbed population. I'm ecstatic, because this is the kind of work I have always been passionate about (helping kids).

The program doesn't start til June...and I have a few big tests I have to pass before I start training. It's nervewracking but very exciting, and also, it is a big commitment. The program is a two year commitment. There is also a Master's Degree in Education involved, too.

I also sold my car, Chino, to a nice Mexican family in the Bronx.

What else?

Art-related news....

I recently had a show here in Williamsburg ...it was a joint show with other artists and musicians called, Art is Not Dead. It was a fun collaborative night, and excellent for networking. My friend and colleague Jessi Robertson and I will be getting together to organize the next one coming up in May. Should be fabulous.

I'm also considering showing soon at the Niagra Bar in the East Village in May. More on that later as details slowly come in....

And......I'm still having a show at Bar 4, but have yet to work the details. I think this show is going to be pushed til May.

Tomorrow I'm getting shot for a video being put together by the the New Pop Sensation. I'm excited about being in a video, but even more excited to meet the cool people involved. Should be grand.

That's all I can blog about. I can't believe I used to blog everyday....I don't have the energy!!! :) Hope all is well.

Vanissa.

2006-03-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

Ahh...Blacksburg.

I must say one of the best things about moving back to the East Coast is getting to return to my old hometown, Blacksburg. While I've lived in many different places and in very different settings, I do have to say Blacksburg is more home to me than any town I have ever lived in.

Right now I'm still traveling - currently in North Beach, MD, and will be spending tomorrow in NOVA to catch up with old friends and family, and then Tuesday I'll be driving up to Philadelphia to visit a college buddy. Wednesday marks my arrival back in Brooklyn.

Blacksburg was short but too bittersweet. It's a little difficult emotionally to be bombarded with friendly old faces and their most sincere gestures in less than a 24 hour period and then have to say goodbye to it all so quickly again. I wish I could have stayed longer, but right now freelancing doesn't really afford too much time away from working.

The booksigning went well (otherwise, I would have cried, seriously). The night before I was so anxious and excited that I was only able to get about two hours sleep. One of my students from last fall came with a friend and doodled in sketchbooks for nearly two hours straight (very talented kids). A few of my old teachers from Elementary and Middle school stopped by, as well as some family friends, and the doctor who saved my life last August when I was suffering a most severe case of tonsillitus and had to have surgery. Several friends, new and old, also made it a point to show up and give their support. If any of you are reading this, I want you to know that I'm extremely gratuitous for your continued support and friendship. Please know that if you're ever in need of a couch in New York that there is one waiting for you in Brooklyn.

And while I don't want to beat the dead horse - I really do want to stress how important my rapport with my supporters and fans are. My main priority when it comes to my work is being able to reach my audience on a personable and intimate level. Without that response and reassurance that I'm succeeding in reaching people with my message, humor, point-of-view, ..I mean, seriously, why draw these nutty cartoons? My own amusement really isn't enough for me.

It's 2AM and time for bed. I will be picture blogging some photos of my time in Blacksburg soon. Special thanks to the EasyChair Bookstore for hosting the event and for being continuously supportive of my work. I hope we can do it again soon.

Peas,
Vanissa.

2006-03-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sausage Party

Last night I spent about two hours waiting in the cold on 34th and Madison for the annual Ringling Bros. Elephant walk. It was SO cold. I had just worked out right beforehand, so I didn't feel that bad at first, but after about an hour or so, my fingers were frostbitten and I was risking a serious case of hypothermia.

My buddy Keith and I were out there like two photography nerds well equipt with three cameras. The cold, however, sucked all the battery life out of the cameras, and by the time the elephants walked by, we only successfully captured one shot. PATHETIC!!!!!

Peta people and other angry citizens who are anti-circus/anti-animal-jail were running down the streets following the elephants, screaming, "FREE THE ELEPHANTS!!!" It was quite a sight.

Keith and I gave up shortly after and headed to chinatown for some late night grub. Ah. I am really starting to love New York.

Anyway, down to business.

Other than freezing from time to time and overcoming various strands of the flu, things have been moving forward. The Blacksburg signing at the EasyChair Bookstore is this Saturday, March 25th, at 1PM. I'll be in town from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. I hope to squeeze in as much play time as possible with all my friends...I can't wait!! Huckleberry Trail, Bollo's, The Underground, The Cellar, Mish Mish, CrossRoads....El Guadelupes'...Ahh..deliciousness.

I'm currently working with a friend of mine to make Romance 101 and Friendship 101 a little more published-looking. So far, I've received two dummies from my partner, Hoyu, and they're fantastic. Most likely these beautiful copies will be available in April.

SHOWS! The Bar 4 show is STILL not certain. :( But I'm working on it.

However, I do have a spot in a collaborative show at Capone's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on the 11th of April, thanks to my girl, Jessi Robertson, the genius head of the Local Correspondants. Details will be posted soon.

PROJECTS. I've got two new ones. They're secrets for now.

To my Blacksburg fellows - see you real soon.

2006-03-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Booksigning Flyer:
Click on the picture to enlarge, and then click on it again to enlarge even more.

2006-03-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

New New New!!!

Hi friends. Sorry for the lack of updating lately. There's been *A LOT* going on here in the city, and I haven't had much time to breathe. I'll have to try and list everything in an organized manner. I swear my head is about to explode.

There are plenty of new developments, and things are going in the right direction..auugghh my head hurts.

New Developments.
1) Bar 4 Show: For local friends and fans, I will be having an opening *soon* at Bar 4 in Park Slope. I'm not sure when it will be, we're still in the early stages of planning, so keep checking back on the status of this.

2) Website: I have a new domain name. It is PigmintArt.Com. There will be a website soon completely designed by me. Clicking there now will forward you to my new portfolio website which is....

3) Portfolio:Pigmint.CarbonMade.Com. Props to Jason Nelson for the site and a big thank you to him too, for having me on board his site!

4) Friendship 101 Online Sales: As announced already, Friendship 101 is in print and selling. Right now it is available at my portfolio site in the "About" section, as well as on my MySpace page. Romance 101 is also available.

5) New CafePress Store: I recently upgraded from using CafePress's free store service to their premium account, which means my stores are now all merged into one, and a lot more organized. Please visit my new store at CafePress.Com/PigmintArt. There are a few new sections (my friend Greg's band, Maybe The Welders is a new one), and there will be more new sections added over time. So, keep your eye out! And, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

6) The Pigmint Rep Team: This is an idea I have had for about 3-4 months now. When I was 18 I followed the band Guster religiously, and back then they were very, very grassroots. They had a very strong following, and the way they spread their music was through their Rep Team. Basically what a Rep does is promote the work of the artist. For Guster, I sold cds, made them money, and sent them their profits. In return I would get into their shows for free, get free mailings that included goodies like stickers, posters, and tshirts, etc., etc. The Pigmint Rep Team would be similar to that.

Right now I am looking to recruit reps in major cities. I currently have contacts in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, and of course, Las Vegas. I'm looking to expand by number of reps and by cities (haha yes, I have plans to take over the world).

I will have to post again a more detailed version of the responsibilities of a rep and how it will work, but it will be something along the lines of this:

Ordering books (currently Romance 101, Friendship 101) in bulk and sell them to potential Pigmint fans, setting up consignment deals in local comic stores and book stores, and helping with grassroots production and promotion.

In return.....I haven't exactly worked this part out yet, but it will include something like mailings, freebies and discounts on items, and a chance to meet..me! Ahhhaa, I'm so cheezy.

7) Easy Chair Booksigning, Blacksburg, VA: It's been nearly 6 months since I've been home to Blacksburg, VA, and I'm itching for a return. I have been conspiring with the Easy Chair gang, and plan on returning for a booksigning event that will take place at the Easy Chair Bookstore on 101 South Main St., at 1PM on Saturday, March 25th.

Much thanks to Russell, Anne, Chris.....Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I currently need Blacksburg reps, and QUICK, for advertising this event!!!

I'm really excited for the visit, because I miss my friends, and I miss the cozy, small town feel of the Burg. I also can't wait to have wings at The Underground. YUMMMMMM.....

_ _ _

So that's it for most of the news. I'm exhausted just from posting all of that. Thanks for reading, and have a great March 1st!

Peas,
Vanissa.

2006-02-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

The New Pop Sensation

A few pieces of my work are featured in the latest edition of a Brooklyn online 'zine called, The New Pop Sensation.

Be sure to check it out. They are on the bottom of the first site and are random, so you may need to reload a few times to view my work.

Thanks to Trevor!

Vanissa.

2006-02-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

FRIENDSHIP 101: IN PRINT NOW!!!

Hi folks. Been a while since I've posted, but I've been busy as ever, applying to art school, jobs, trying to get my life in order..etc., etc. It's been mad. January's over! I can't believe it. But February is going to be great, especially with Valentine's Day around the corner ;).

So, a few things. Friendship 101 is FINALLY DONE. I mean, seriously, after awhile it was like PULLING TEETH. I finally finished over the weekend (finally, finally). It's crazy how Romance 101 came so naturally and easily...I feel like I slaved over Friendship 101. I hope my readers are impressed with it....I hope that, as a "sophomore release," it does all right.

With it came a whole new line of graphic tees n' stuff, which is cool. Here's a flier advertising my Friendship 101 Hoodies:

Anyway, things are crazy. My head is like, about to explode. But, it's ok. One of the best things (well, it's a little unnerving) is that I've just recently gone full time with my freelancing, ...which is a huge step, and happened a lot sooner than I anticipated.

I'm working on building a new website (will probably be something like pigmintart.com), new portfolio, and looking to submit my work to publishers, as well as build a community of representatives (and benefactors, should there be any who *really* believe in me and want to *invest* in me) to advertise my work. But I'll elaborate on that later when I finish a few more things.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy of Friendship 101, I'm selling the first printing for $15 (usually, they're $20, so get it while it's still cheap!). Drop me an email @ vanissawchan@yahoo.com. Romance 101 is also still available (but very limited). And if you're interested in my new store, please visit cafepress.com/pigmintrequests.

Thank you!

And Happy Chinese New Year's!

2006-01-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

a whole new year, a whole new set of obstacles.

Happy 2006! It's been awhile since my last post, and everything already has changed. I have recently gone part-time at my "day job" in order to commit more time to my freelancing. This month has been great, but really stressful with all the demands I have put on myself. Things will start to die down in February.

I'm in the middle of finishing Friendship 101 (yes, long overdue), applying for art school, boosting my freelancing group, and rebuilding rapport with my network. I've been incredibly reclusive due to my busy, busy mind, and it has kept me from beauty sleep (well, sleep in general), but I've been getting a lot of work done. I've also returned to my obsessive running which is a great stress relief. 24 miles last week. This week I'm hoping for 30 or so.

There are possible new publications coming up, but I'm going to have to wait and find out.

Right now, though, my bed is calling. The dreams in my head are alive and angry.

Peace.

2005-12-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

featured illustrations!
would you like to be a part of my featured illustrations?:

Please click here to view the entire set.

would YOU like to be turned into one of my illustrations? if yes, please email me, and we'll see what we can do.

2005-12-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

2005-12-20T05:07:00.000-08:00

well.

Now that I can't go to work.....That means I get to spend all day drawing. :D

2005-12-20T04:55:00.000-08:00

HOLY $#!^!!!

from: http://www.nyc.gov

PR- 473-05
December 20, 2005

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON ILLEGAL WORK STOPPAGE BY THE TWU

"Tonight, Roger Toussaint and the TWU have taken the illegal and morally reprehensible action of ordering a citywide strike of our mass transit system.

"The contingency plan that we outlined last week will go into effect and be implemented for Tuesday morning's rush hour. Among other measures, HOV lanes have been designated; Police checkpoints are being established and a new fare structure for taxis is in effect. The entire contingency plan can be viewed on www.nyc.gov.

"At this hour, City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo is joining the MTA in requesting an emergency hearing in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Theodore Jones. We will seek to show that the TWU is in contempt of the court's earlier injunction and ask the court to impose severe fines on the union and its members.

"I hope Judge Jones will grant this motion as quickly as possible. The union must understand there are real and significant consequences to their actions.

"For their own selfish reasons, the TWU has decided that their demands are more important than the law, the City and the people they serve. This is not only an affront to the concept of public service; it is a cowardly attempt by Roger Toussaint and the TWU to bring the City to its knees to create leverage for their own bargaining position. We cannot give the TWU the satisfaction of causing the havoc they desperately seek to create.

"Going forward, we will need to be patient, considerate and resilient. We can't let inconveniences, as massive as they are, stop our economy, shut down our schools, or jeopardize public safety.

"It will no doubt be a difficult time for people of this City and the region as a whole. But New Yorkers have made a habit of pulling through tough times and showing doubters what we're made of. These traits will be put to the test as long as this strike lasts.

"Rush hour will begin in few hours. I will join fellow New Yorkers going to work by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to lower Manhattan. Let's show our determination by walking, cycling or carpooling, to get to work and school.

"We will show that New York City works even when our buses and subways don't. I have no doubt that, by working together, we can and will get through this.

"Thank you and have a good night."

2005-12-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

take joy in all you do.

not well slept, and i'm up to finish a colored commissioned piece this morning. work's been killing me, but things are doing all right there too.....is that normal??? for me to actually ENJOY my day job?? it isn't normal. something must be fishy. =P

this weekend will be a SOCIAL weekend. i haven't had one of those in awhile. there is still a lot of work to do though. derek and i are busting out t-shirts and promo posters for his Knitting Factory show on Saturday. for two people who work full-time, network, and spend all the majority of their spare time working on lengthy creative projects, i have to say that i give the both of us props for barely being able to maintain the things that need to be done to live here in the city...(like, laundry at odd hours, and um...cleaning stuff..).

okay, that was a really badly written paragraph i realize. it's 8am and i've barely slept, and i feel weird and it is the morning, and i hate mornings..blablabalblablalba.

enjoy the microwave kitty.

2005-12-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

i'm whiny.

i think i have to repark my car. worst of all, i have to wake up ridiculously early and work a 12 hour day.

so it is december and the drama in my personal life hasn't seemed to end...however, there seems to be a divergence in that the drama is occurring nearby.........meaning, to people close to me, but i'm somehow not as involved, which is a really good thing.

so that means i'm doing something right. right?

i dunno.

the little boy is my bestfriend's 5 year old nephew caleb. i swear, he is the love of my life. tragically, he suffers from asperger's autism. he is also the most brilliant kid i have ever met. and he has these amazing blue eyes, and you can see him disappear into the world of his mind. he's beautiful. i love him.

the highlight of my day today: drawing in starbucks and giving my fish cartoon away to a bundled up little girl. she was a bit whiny because she was hungry, and her and her sister had to wait reluctantly for their mom to pick them up from, i'm guessing, being with the nannies. i think she was happy about the fish cartoon, but she was a bit pouty so i'm unsure. ahhh..kids are so cute. (when they're not yours, i've learned.)

i'm anxious. i don't want to work. i'm also anxious because there is a lot going on in with every aspect of my life, work, business, personal, family...EVERYTHING. the holidays....new year's..ack!! ACK!! i wish i could just skip the rest of december and all of january and get to february already. chinese new year is always a nice time.

year of the dog? yeah, year of the dog is next.

must get ready for bed. ciao.

2005-12-12T00:04:00.000-08:00

one more day.

if only i could have one more day for a weekend. but anyway, the reason for the title, it's the title of the song derek james and i are animating. and that there...i a little sketch of james and ophelia, starring in soon-to-be-the-most-rockin'-animated-music video ever known to mankind. YEAAAHHH!!!

the holidays are RIGHT around the corner...isn't that wild? i'm seriously feeling the pressure of all of it. i'm looking forward to it, but at the same time, i kind of can't wait for all of it to be over. or..i think that is my general feeling of the winter, period. it's so ricockulously cold here, sometimes i wake up and it takes literally hours for me to really be awake....well, no, i'm always like that, but now, with it being so cold, i think it just enhances that.

i'll be heading back to the west coast for the New Year. it will be such a change from the cold and snow. it's so silly, i think....how easily i am influenced by the weather. =P

i'm just rambling. it's time for bed.

2005-12-10T01:59:00.000-08:00

i'm being vague, but this is my story.

i have had a struggle with being too personal on blogs to not knowing how to not be impersonal on blogs. so i have this weird in between, bouncing back and forth from being personable to standoffish way of writing. well, anyway. i found out something today that is very critical to my time here in new york city, and i grew nostalgic. this is what i wrote. this is sort of the biography that never appeared on this site, so, i guess in a way, it kills two birds with one stone, uhh..yeah..or something like that.

so this is a story of a girl who liked to daydream a whole lot.

she daydreamed to pass the time, waiting for the bell to ring, in the first period of the seventh grade. she was a swimmer and dreamed about becoming an olympic star. she dreamed about falling in love, and finally being seen for who she really was.

swimming took her to many places. she traveled to many great cities to compete. her daydreams would take place in the water. being immersed in the different shades of soft blue kept her imagination flowing. all kinds of ideas and stories would formulate in her head, and she would wait for practice to end, and for dinner to be over, for her to be alone at night where she could write and organize these new thoughts.

on the swimteam she made who she thought would be lifelong friends. slowly, these friends that were so accessible and familiar slowly become unrecognizable. drugs and pretension took some of them away. interests other than swimming took some more away. and soon enough, the girl found herself alone again, lost without her friends.

although lost and alone, this girl still happened to find herself in the soft blue of the water, alone in her thoughts. but soon enough, the intimate places of the mind she reached while swimming endless laps broke her heart. the nostalgia of the good times that had passed were too much, the loss of friends could no longer be ignored, and she had to take her daydreams elsewhere.

she went to the nearby university, determined to walk her own path. here she met a boy who she thought she could daydream with, and while their energies were fueled by different passions, they dreamt together for nearly three years. believing that she was finally being loved for who she really was, the girl planted a seed in her heart for the future of her and this boy. music, poetry, and art resulted in abundant amounts. their love was deep, and no matter what obstacles they came across, the girl made sure she did what she could to keep the bond strong.

and then one day, the boy broke the girl's heart. just weeks before he had spoken of proposing, and for a year's time they had spoken of marriage.

but on this one day, the boy made it very clear to the girl that he didn't want to daydream with her anymore.

so the girl moved far, far away.

and for the next few years, the girl wandered aimlessly, sometimes from boy to boy in search for the daydream she had experienced during those ten minutes before first period was over.

a few times, she thought she found it.

one boy was a fireman she'd bumped into in the dessert aisle of the grocery store.

another was a carefree, brooklyn-born italian who loved to take her shopping, make her home cooked meals, watch movies, take her out dancing, and go out to music concerts and festivals.

one boy she remained with for nine months trying to convince herself that she was something she wasn't just so she could smile brightly at how picture perfect they looked on the outside.

there was a boy who she'd met in her favorite california town who was passionate about music and sociology, whose eyes smiled when she looked into them.

all of these boys had their own daydreams, and as amazing as they were, none of them matched the daydream she was in search for since the days of her childhood.

and then one day she came upon a boy whose deep blue sea of eyes touched every nerve in her entire body and soul.

everytime she looked into them, she was mystified. she would leave his side and not be able to escape the trance he had put her in. she would close her eyes, and he would be in her daydream, as much as she tried to resist.

when they spent time together, they would not have to speak. they just needed to look at each other. and despite all the obstacles that stood between them, the girl knew that this was the boy in her 7th grade daydream.

but the obstacles were great. and sudden. and even though this was her daydream boy, and she knew it was, they had to be apart.

and forced apart they were.

they went their separate ways, and the girl suffered in their separation. (the boy did too, we assume.) to cope, she started to draw. she would stay up late at night, drawing to reduce the anxiety, but even in her creative release, it wasn't enough to save her from lovesickness.

another relationship occurred. this one, fresh, new, and wild. seemingly filling. seemingly real, and even practical. as far as she knew, the daydream that was had died with the separation from the deep-blue-eyed boy. the idea of the daydream ever materializing she realized was impossible. and she accepted it.

the girl ran away from her far, far away place that she had run to after the university heartbreak, and found herself in new york city. she had run away from her current relationship, and had run away from her family, and her past, and everything she'd ever known and written and made her own.

and she decided to start completely over. she cut ties with everyone she had ever known, and broke off her relationship. she broke off from several friendships, some the most important in her life. some, nonrecoverable heartbreaks. in a city so unquiet and congested, she craved for silence in her mind. no more daydreams, she thought. just dreams.

just real, raw dreams. not to pass the minutes of the day like she had once done, but dreams she realized needed to be materialized. armed with her insatiable passion for colors and ink, the girl who had before used her art to cope with the incomplete daydream is now utilizing it to keep a roof over her head.

the boy in the daydream will have to wait, because the girl in his daydream is busy.

2005-12-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

productive illustration weekend.

so i've made sure to chill out this weekend, decompress from the stresses of a 40 hour work week by indulging myself in spa-related activities, art, and multiple cups of hot chocolate.

i've been illustrating like mad. the above "poster" was inspired by the three cats i live with and my kitty-loving roommate, AMPeters. along with commissioned pieces (i.e., the spa illustration), i have goals to complete Friendship 101 before Christmas time. here below is the trial cover:

this Sunday, if i can help it, won't be lazy.

but the rest of you, have a nice one.

v.

2005-12-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

turning a new leaf.

so the piece above is a new piece i just completed (it may go under some rendering later on) for some massage therapist friends of mine. the little guy makes me want to indulge myself in spa delights. sigh. it's friday and i'm really overworked. this weekend, however, begs for art-related attention.

*yawn*

by the way, i have printed ten copies of Romance 101, and have sold most of them. i still have 3 or 4 left, so if you are interested, please let me know. this is R101's NYC debut printing. they're $20 a copy. just email me at vanissawchan@yahoo.com. thanks!

have a great friday everyone!

2005-12-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

ryry-sound.net

this is my buddy ryan, also a virginia tech alum, sporting my, "please don't have children," tee. thanks for the support, ryan!! ryan is a very, very talented DJ. experience his sound at ryry-sound.net.

to purchase this shirt and view other Pigmint products, please visit cafepress.com/pigmint.

2005-11-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

the update.

as impersonal as i try to be on this blog, it is clear that over time, my emotions shine through. things have been really strange for me lately here in the big apple, but i have to say, with the support from my roommates and my friends, perseverence has a chance.

it would be too easy for me to flee to the west coast, back into the safehaven of my home in las vegas, the security of my family, easy money and sunny days in the back of my head. what happened to the challenge of living here in the most amazing metropolis in the world?

i've given it a lot of thought. and the flight instinct has transformed into a fight instinct. i think i'm going to stick it out here.

thanks everyone for your support...whether e-words, or in-person hugs, it's your strength that's helped me arrive to this conclusion.

2005-11-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

bad omens.

many bad omens have appeared in my life this month. this one just takes the cake.

i'm not even kidding, i'm freaked out beyond comprehension.

should i leave New York City?

the flyer above - my neighbor across the hall had his brains splattered all over our hallway this morning at 4:15am in the morning.

and because i had to open my gym at 5am in the morning, i stayed with a friend who lived closer to my workplace so my commute would be shorter.

which means, my life may have been spared by this one decision to not stay at my apartment last night, because i would have been leaving my apartment at approximately 4-4:15AM this morning, the exact time the murder was taking place.

i'm really freaked out. that's all i have to say.

2005-11-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

here comes the end of the year...

so the end of the year is nearly here, and i'm trying not to let my prone-to-self-reflective head get to me too much. i've been reorganizing and reorganizing. my work schedule has been flipping on me, so readjusting has really been the issue. things take so long in this city. it's really weird.

turkey day is coming up and i'll be spending it with friends in jersey city, where i've never been. i'm excited to have a thanksgiving in New York. my last thanksgiving in New York was in Buffalo with my ex's family....it was cold, but it had a nice old feel to it, and it was the best italian food of my life.

the talented and handsome Derek James and i have recently decided to join forces and animate a music video together. i just got back from spending nearly 4 hours storyboarding the entire video with him. it was geniusness at work!! it's going to be A LOT of work, but we're really excited, and i think it's going to turn out great and really make things happen for the both of us. i'll have some drawings of that up pretty soon. some t-shirts and posters will be in the works of getting produced as well, so be on the look out.

i'm also in the middle of building a desk for myself here at the apartment. it's a project that shouldn't take longer than another day. i need some sandpaper. luckily, there is a home depot conveniently down the street from where we live. seriously, things are so spread out and hidden away in this town, if it wasn't for mapquest and store locators, i would be so lost.

one more thing that i'm working on this next week is the third printing of Romance 101. it will be its debut printing in New York City, which i'm pretty excited about. i'm starting out with ten copies, and i think i've already sold about 7. if i keep this up, things could be really great for James and Ophelia.

the new Friendship 101 is coming along, too. my latest drawing is: Friends Defend Friends in Traffic. you should be able to preview that soon.

oh, and the fox, bunny, chair drawing is from a weird dream i had this morning. i was in a bunny suit and was traveling home from work (which was some kind of restaurant with a swimming/ocean theme...you literally had to swim to get to your tables), and well, rather than walking, i was riding a rolly chair that was actually a living, breathing thing. and all of a sudden i get attacked by these wolves (or, foxes..) with these crazy teeth.....and then i got woken up by a phonecall. so, that explains the drawing. i don't know if i'll take it any further. sure was fun to draw though.

time for a run. peace out.

happy entrails,
vanissa.

2005-11-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR SCORPIOS...

moving here to the big apple, i've never met so many scorpios in my life. and they're ALL artists. this zodiac stuff freaks me out!

2005-11-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

overwhelmed.how i'm still asleep, i have no idea. i've been working full-time, working out like mad, and also taking on freebie projects like crazy and my productivity level isn't even that high. i'm on overload and i'm about to pass out. blah. i'm behind, behind, behind. forgive me people.

this posted is another sketch of some new developing Spike Brigade characters. these are Edison A, B, and C, respectively. so, what do you think?

ok, i really have to pass out now. i can't believe it's 10pm.

HE,v.

2005-11-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

my godfather's birthday.

my godfather Uncle Matti's birthday is at midnight tonight. he is solely responsible for introducing me to the comic world at the very young age of 3 or 4. he introduced me to those comics that we all grew up with, archie's, heathcliff, garfield, peanuts, and most importantly, my greatest influence, calvin and hobbes.

in addition to being a huge artistic influence during my childhood and to this day, my Uncle Matti serves also as a second father to me, and a life long mentor -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE MATTI!!! you mean the WORLD to me and i love you with all my heart!!!

at the top, some happy kats i drew for him.

HE,
vanissa.

2005-10-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

headaches.

i've been getting these episodic headaches lately..i wonder if they're migraines. they're subtle in pain, but somehow it spreads through my entire body and i pretty much feel like crap. i'm trying to figure out if it is due to a lack of sleep, or something in my diet....i'm not sure.

maybe i'm not drinking enough water.

well, with that, my bad sleeping schedule, my addiction to myspace, and my ridiculously unproductive rut i've been in lately due to personal issues in my life...RAAAHHHHH!!!! my life will NEVER BE DRAMALESS and it is SO ANNOYING.

i'm learning a lot of new traffic laws here in the big apple. and to be honest, they all quite suck. i don't think i've ever despised driving anywhere as much as i despise driving here. i would even endure hours of Northern Virginia traffic -- and the drivers there are unGodly.

my car has become quite a burden and i really thought i would have sold it by now. but i am also sentimentally attached to my little chino....he is, afterall, my home when i am not under a roof. i don't want it to be the end between us....i just love him so so so so much...

halloween today was all right. i was disappointed, actually, in the lack of enthusiasm by the people at work. HALLOWEEN IS A CHANCE TO BE WHOEVER YOU WANT TO BE, NO MATTER HOW WEIRD, GROTESQUE, or EXTREME!!!! it is a free ticket to be a complete freak in every setting!!! what could be better??!! i was not around the right crowd today, but then again, i was at work. and i have to work really early tomorrow, so going out tonight was out of the question. which ... breaks my little asian commie heart.

which brings me to a new pact to myself: i will have a BLASTING halloween next year. no matter where i am, i'm going to go all out with the fake blood, the eye make up, the costume...EVERYTHING..it's going to rock and i'm going to be with a fitting crowd, too.

my 25th birthday is in ONE week. just in time for my car insurance to go down. and now i am on the brink of being carless. isn't that classic? classic vanissa luck.

artistically i've been in a rut. i think i have too many personal issues going on and my outlet lately has been running on the treadmill and pumping iron. this week i'm on a search for a drawing spot. that and cleaning out the apartment. a close friend of mine is coming up for my birthday weekend.....i hope things will be good. i usually am a depressing mess on my birthday. last year i got a parking ticket, AND i got pulled over, and the cop was a complete dick. i also had to work, and i cried my eyes out.

*sigh*

enough. i must sleep.

2005-10-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

pumpkins taste good.

has anyone ever tried pumpkin icecream? it's AWESOME...i have yet to find some, but when i do, i'll be digging into that.

so i've been literally *missing in action* because i've been working full time and i hardly have any time to draw, at all. :( the good thing is, i'm concentrating on working out which is sooo sooo nice because i haven't really been on a consistent regimen in a long time, and i was beginning to feel the bad effects of partying too much, staying up and out late, and not working out on a regular basis.

so...with working full time, focusing on a new gym routine, getting used to riding the trains, and falling miserably deeper into a financial hole, i haven't had much time to work on any of my illustrative projects..which is my FOCUS for this week.

i talked to an artist friend of mine who is in blacksburg tonight and he reminded me of how much i missed the small town atmosphere of some of the cafes there like bollo's, and i realized that what i really need now is a good cafe where i can plant myself down for a few hours and draw in peace and quiet.

i think there is a good cafe nearby my work in downtown brooklyn, so that's my goal of this week.

i would blog more, but i'm tired and i need sleep, and my body has been battling germs, and serious allergies the past week, so i better take care of myself.

hope everyone is well......thanks for reading. i promise i'll come back and get back on track with posting.

H.E.,
vanissa.

2005-10-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

FIREFOX.

can anyone explain to me why my firefox won't work??!!!!! ZACH HELP ME PLEASE.

not much to blog about. i'm still braindead from the week. i have WORK to do today and i am slacking. UGH. UGH. UGH.

2005-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

the sleep deprived week.

I'm exhausted. I've been training all week at the new job, discovering downtown brooklyn, working out, and drawing NON-STOP, and every day i have the goal of getting home early to sleep...

it never happens. tomorrow is friday and i'll have the weekend to chill, but not really...i have a lot of goals for myself.

anyway. my brain is dead. i'm brain dead. meet athena, Spike Brigade's favorite carnivore.

HE, v.

2005-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

SPIKE BRIGADE: transcription and icon

had a good first day at work...bla bla...let's just get to the meat!! i'm thrilled because after transcribing the first scene of Spike Brigade with my co-creator, ric, i went and completed this badass icon drawing of spike (one of two main characters)! i was so thrilled with it i played around with it in photoshop with different color combinations..and this moment as we speak i am making t-shirts available on cafepress.com!

:D call me crazy.

and after you do that, check this out.

HE,v.

2005-10-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

the best band in the world

i'm still convinced that The Faint is the best band in the world. pictures will be posted soon...i just need to recharge my batteries. it's late at night, and i'm wide awake. i think somehow i'm tuned into West Coast time. i think subconsciously i want to be back there...ohhh oh oh...i miss the weather...the sun....the...

the show tonight was orgasmic. there really is no other way of putting it. they are AMAZING!! AAAMMAAAAZZINNNGGG!!!! if i could only scream right now...i would scream, AAAMMAAAZZZINNNGGG!!! but i'm currently in my loft with three sleeping roommates.

ahhh...i could drool all night.

so much for an intellectual post.

BAD ASS!!!!!!!!!

2005-10-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

a product of the Toy Design major, by an Otis College of Art & Design student. (!!)

you know you live in the williamsburg ghetto when...

when your safety depends on the operating hours of the circus of a supermarket right across from your apartment building.

thank God Sunday is on the weekend and that responsibilities are down to a bare minimum. it's 4 in the afternoon, and i haven't showered, still have bedhead, and am in the middle of doing laundry, after having had lunch before breakfast, and now breakfast, with a cold cup of coffee.

yes, everything is backwards today because last night i didn't get home til 5am or so from some east village apartment party, where i discovered that there are some southern white boys that can dance.

it's getting colder and i am getting more and more paranoid of the East Coast winter i have ahead of my little chinese head. i mean, if being in an overwhelmingly new environment isn't enough...in addition, i have the blizzard of my adult life to face.

i realize i am not well equipt. i do not know where i have placed my umbrella, i do not have boots or any kind of water/snow/ice proof shoes (i'm a flip flop girl, please), and the few winter coats i have are...oddly colored and now i am paranoid about my fashion faux pas. i mean, please, i am living in NYC, afterall.

i've been shopping around for art schools, and that really has consumed most of the weekend. yesterday i went to The Academy of Arts University recruiting session in Manhattan, and got to talk to a few "bigshots," including the ex-head of the illustration department, and the current co-head of the MFA Photography department. it looks like i may be getting a second bachelor's, and it would be in illustration. i'm also looking at The Art Center of Design in Pasadena and Otis College of Art & Design, which has a Toy Design major...wouldn't it be kickass to design toys for a living?! think of the cool christmas gifts i would be giving.

i start my new job tomorrow, and i need to locate paperwork. and i don't know how long this will take me. but hopefully it won't take too long so that i can fit in the gym, a train ride to manhattan, and to arrive at BB King's Blues club around 9ish to see MorningWood open for The Faint.

i know this post has lacked coherence, and my apologies. my attention is also distracted because, in addition to being a complete flake, there are 2 car alarms going off outside, and i'm also listening to the new Franz Ferdinand WHICH KICKS COMPLETE BLACK ARSE!!!!!!

i think my clothes are done.

happy entrailing, peeps.
v.

2005-10-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

new projects.

i know i'm crazy and take on too many projects, but seriously, having all these illustration projects is like heaven to me. i'm a half hour away from leaving for my interview and all i can think of is illustration projects, projects, and projects. i'm STOKED. this is so exciting.

so last week i started this "friends do this to friends" series. it's kind of like romance 101, only about friendship. throughout the course of my life, i feel like true friends have been really hard to come by, and more often than not, i get screwed over. after awhile, it gets old - don't you think? i'm sure you guys know what i mean.

so, i started sketching this new series, and heh, posted is an example of the outcome. so far i have about 25 ideas. i need about ten more to have a completed series. let me know if you guys have any ideas. i love interaction from friends when it comes to my work.

<--posted here is another new illustration project i've been working on. i've conjoined heads with the brilliant ric parada to create this new series that we hope will leave us RICH AND FAMOUS! hehe. it started out as a comedy skit too, but now it has taken a whole new direction. it's a post-apocalyptic animation about orphaned kids who live under a city. i won't spill too much, but kids, watch for this. this is going to be great!

anyway, i gotta run. lots of stuff tonight with bar4/matchless owner larry's new bar opening and the heavyweights' second october show at pianos. hope to see you kids out there tonight.

h.e.,
v.

2005-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

being honest with instinct.

it takes guts to follow what they're trying to tell you. and after much personal meditation and putting my head together with a beloved life mentor and close, personal friend, i've made a very huge decision to sacrifice something incredibly important and precious to me to invest in something much, much more critical to me at this time: my growth. does all of this sound gay? well, i'm being vague, because it is personal, but all of it is very, very good and very, very positive, so, just to let you all know, things are on the upside.

the image above is a movie poster i completed today for my dear friend Seneca Haynes' movie, River of Dread. i hope he likes it.

and below...a sketch+photoshop piece i did recently, reviewing the lows of my emotional personality.

big, big interview tomorrow. must prep. everyone have a good night.

H.E.,
v.

2005-10-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

BLAAAAAAAA.

so i've been MIA for the past couple of days dealing with deep, personal issues. it isn't fun, it is probably my least favorite aspect of my life because it brings the most pain and heartache, but yet, then again, it is also the very center of my existence. sounds like complete hell, doesn't it? i can assure that it is.

getting interviewed for a big job tomorrow and i'll be prepping all night for it. i'm going to try to make it out to the gym tonight in brooklyn heights, do some book shopping at B&N, and maybe pop into Bar Matchless for some candids of some local talents. we'll see.

i feel like i've been hit with a whirlwind.

2005-10-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

bitches be trippin'

last night was tons of fun on ludlow street with a band that was very clearly better than Elvis. it was my first Heavyweights show, and easily said, not my last. this here is a shot from last night capturing lead singer, casey shea's raw and fun energy with the heavyweights audience. i'm not completely done with editing the set yet, but i'm getting there. hang tight.

in the meantime, the photos that have been edited may be seen here.

well, this weekend my professional/unemployed life takes a backseat while i focus primarily on my personal life that has suffered tremendously since my move back to the East coast. i'm also going to work -- a tiny bit -- for Fried Squid Productions, whose 1950's horror film, River of Dread, will be premiering in downtown Blacksburg at the beloved Lyric Theatre this halloween. this short hiatus may surpass the weekend...but i'll peep in here and there as i piece personal issues back together.

on that note, everyone have a safe weekend.

happy entrails,
v.

2005-10-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

there's only so much you can do on the roof

yesterday was slightly productive. i'm starting to get used to working in my pjs as i have set up my new "office" in the center of my loft apartment. boris's desk is right next to mine, so now we're "co-workers," and i am left to reminisce of my old days in corporate america, hiding in my cubicle from my boss, listening to her 5 voicemails about the memo that got lost in cyberspace, and slowly, subconsciously planning "going postal" on everyone's asses with my very sharp pencils. only now, this time everything is pretend, so the situation is that much greater. an instant message will pop up on occasion, "THIS IS A PROFESSIONAL OFFICE!!!!!!!" between boris and the other original loft-dweller, the talented amy peters, there is enough insanity to make it seem like all of this is real.

high-light of my day

after spending hours "training" for my possible new job, i found my way to the infamous G-train and spent a couple hours in brooklyn heights, where my gym is located. and on my way to the bar (right after the gym, hehehe...nothing like ruining everything you've worked for in one night), sitting in the G-train, i noticed these four old men hanging out across from me. they were immigrants, but i don't know from where, and they were speaking some kind of unidentifiable language. they were really cute, so i started to sketch them, and i kept smiling at their silly gestures. since i couldn't hide my expressions, they noticed, and came over one by one to see what i was sketching. soon after i got to my stop and had to leave them, but they gestured that they wanted to have the sketch. since this was from my sketchpad, i had fresh notes i'd written minutes earlier so i was a little reluctant to give it to them, but i figured, what they hey, they're fresh notes...i can rewrite them later, and how could i reject the request from such sweet old men? so i ripped it out and gave it to them in haste so that i could get out of the train before the doors shut. from outside the train, i watched it go by and saw the four men through the window. they were all bunched together looking at my sketch, pointing and chuckling. :) anyway. they responded with such genuine laughter that i was really sincerely moved. and that was the high light of my day.

local correspondents, matchless, and networking

so last night was a good networking night at matchless. i met up with jessi and her LC partner, tanya buziak, and took a few photos of their featured musicians....all really fxxking talented, i was seriously shocked. one artist in particular who really knocked my socks off is the talented christina rubino, whose strong character is very clearly exemplified by her dominant voice and fearless stage presence. her performance literally awoke me from my mindless sketching and my concentration was so interrupted that i had no choice but to watch her perform and listen to what she had to say. i actually wrote down these lyrics which i liked very much, "I could see God in your face/Kiss the gods in their face," and "Desperate now/Hold the light." christina is also an artist too, and her work featuring her dead doll character can be seen in matchless's foozball room. needless to say, she has a new fan ;).

christina rubino - lighting a cigarette outside Matchless.

the two lovely hosts, jessi robertson and tanya buziak

the other musicians were all really amazing too, and i unfortunately didn't get to mingle with too much. with my camera and my sketchpad around, i am a little spacey and introverted. to view the new photos, please click here.

hi mom

so i just recently found out that more people than i thought read this blog, and with all the new networking (aka, netwhoring) i am and will be doing, i'm sure the numbers will only increase. one very important person in particular who i just found out reads my blog is my mom. hi mom! i love you! i'm not going out and getting drunk every night and smoking my lungs out and spending large amounts of cash i don't have and kissing strange men, so please, please, please, do not worry! (and don't pay attention to the photos of me doing such things, everything is staged and i am just acting, i swear.) i am very well-behaved, i'm serious!!!!! eh...heh heh.

so, commentators, with respect, please keep your comments rated PG. leave the R and X rated stuff to me.

tonight's the night
so tonight is the first October friday show of The Undisputed Heavyweights. it's at 10PM at Pianos on 158 Ludlow Street, and YOU SHOULD GO...not only because the Heavyweights kick a lot of ass, but also because i'm going to be there. :D

so, on that note, everyone have a great Friday, and i'll see you tonight.

happy entrails,
v.

2005-10-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

it's finally done.

well, i spent a nice evening putting together this poster for The Undisputed Heavyweights. this is the first poster of the october series - i have a few more in my head that i want to roll out in the next few weeks.

i'm excited about getting this kind of exposure. a HUGE thank you to Wes, one of the guitarists of the Heavyweights, for befriending me and giving me this huge opportunity. he is also a major glen phillips fan, so he gets props ;).

well, it's late. i had planned on going to bar 4 tonight to take some photos of the musicians there tonight, but since i was working on this and other things, it didn't happen. tomorrow i should show up though, and it will be a good time.

goodnight!

h.e.,
v.

2005-10-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

the musician set.

i've a new photographic-related focus, which is taking shots of local NYC musicians. i've organized a set specifically for this on flickr, so view it here and visit often.

H.E.,
v.

2005-10-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

renewed.

<--passionate do-gooder, jessi robertson.

going to CBGB's gallery with new musician friends and to Bar4 for their open mic night was the perfect dessert for me after a stressful morning of driving around trying to navigate my way through brooklyn to get to my interview for a day job in Howard Beach (the job is in brooklyn heights but i had to go to Howard Beach, which is in queens for the interview). thank God it was broad daylight. i was in some pretty sketch hoods.

the little-roadtrip-gone-to-hell left me discouraged, tired, and a bit disgruntled. a driver can only take so many detours and one-way street maneuvering. it took me a full HOUR to travel 7 miles. that's how brooklyn streets are organized (they're not).

tonight i learned from a friend that East Williamsburg (where i live) is a nice name for Bushwick, which has always been known as a sketch neighborhood. isn't that fabulous?! yes, i think my neighborhood is a bit sketchy, and that the one thing good and safe about it is that my building is super nice and super safe.

but i pray for my car everyday.

though i went out, it was a fairly low key night for me. i was a bit introverted and out of it. i think i was mostly tired and i guess tiredness hikes up my shyness (which is usually zero, right??!!). even so, being around these crazy, poor, starving, passionate musicians renewed me. it gave me a bit of hope for my survival in NYC. there all here and starving. some of them aren't even legal immigrants. if they're here and happy and making it, so can i!

tomorrow will be filled with productivity (if i have it my way). i have a few illustrations that need to be perfected, scanned, and edited and re-edited, phone calls that need to be made, and some working out that needs to be done. i'm going to try and start it early...which means i better get off blogger and get some sleep.

H.E.,
v

2005-10-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

a million new york minutes

days go by like minutes here. doing the network thing and meeting thousands of contacts, painting the walls of my new apartment, unpacking all my shit, finding time to draw in solitude and quiet, learning the ins and outs of my neighborhood, getting to know the train stops, arming myself with pepperspray, socializing with my new roommates, finding the best deals on groceries, gym memberships, and art supplies, dealing with the spontaneous weather, and trying to hold on to my agenda and focus while living in this crazy, existentialistic monster of a city.....

it's been hard to keep up. and so much has happened since my last post.

the top left hand graphic is a small piece i did for The Undisputed Heavyweights - this band i met a few nights ago when a new friend of mine invited me to the Local Correspondents, organized by the networking goddess, Jessi Robertson. they will be featuring my illustrations this month through ad posters they'll be putting up on billboards advertising their friday night residencies at Pianos on 158 Ludlow St.

this is good exposure for me....for sure.

so now i'm freaking out. things have to be perfect.

i'm trying to think of other news.

the weather is sucky. i knew i had to deal with this, but i had no idea that it would affect my mood so much. it's sticky and hot, or it's windy and cold and rainy. it never seems to be good.

i'm going in for an interview tomorrow for a day job. *fingers crossed*

this city is so, so, so, so big, it's so overwhelming.

i don't know really what else to blog. i miss my blacksburg friends and my kids. i talked to one of my 7th graders online today, and this kid hadn't realized that i'd left and moved to new york. it's weird...to think of 7th graders on instant messenger.

anyway. happy entrails.

v.

2005-09-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

damn. i don't know if i can handle this cold. damn!

well, yesterday was an interesting day. due to creative incompatibility, i left my job permanently yesterday afternoon. and i came home to a parking ticket (and in NY they are fxxking expensive). and then i cleaned the apartment for a good 4-5 hours.

the bathroom looks brand spanking new, which is nice. but i'm all disoriented. i have a job interview at 2pm. it's in the city. i need to go to the gym and i need to figure out the train system so that i can get there, but i'm too cold. it's so cold here. and when i'm cold, i don't want to do anything.

crap!

i miss good weather already. there really hasn't been ONE day that i have been even okay with the weather here. it's either too hot, too humid, or too rainy, windy, and cold. and the skies are gloomy. no wonder the people here are so angry all the time.

sigh.

i hope the day gets better. i should get off my butt and go work out.

H.E.,
v.

2005-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

it is cold and rainy outside and i am reminded of the sacrifice i made to live in New York City. yes, right now i miss the West Coast very much. the West Coast and its clear blue skies, and its everyday, consistent, sunny weather.

UGGH.

and i have a 30 minute walk home after work. argh.

i drove around yesterday. got lost a little. found out that there are no right turns on red in New York. my friend Rik (producer of the rap video) and i went to Astoria, Queens and watched Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. it was good although i was kinda tired. we spent the rest of the day walking around the posh part of williamsburg, eating sicilian pizza slices at anna marie's, drinking expensive coffee and eating top-of-the-line tiramisu at an authentic italian cafe.

a nice day off.

and now i'm here. stuck, being a slave artist for the jews. it's not even really an artist position. more of a whipping boy position. i draw all these things they ask me to draw. i come up with like, 40 different designs. and the lady i work for, she rips them apart, criticizes me, BELITTLES me, and then sends me back to do the designs over again, only to come back later, and as she is renditioning, have her choose an idea or a design or pattern that i'd previously drawn. and then she takes credit for it.

tell me that's not BULLSHIT.

uugghhh. 40 more minutes til freedom. i keep telling myself, it's only a part-time position.

my eyes are tired from going through the jobs on craig's list. craig's list grips at your desperation like no other...i am seriously addicted.

2005-09-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

is it possible to make it in NYC as a freelancer?

i've had one freelance job, i'm at my part-time right now, and another freelance job got canceled on me today. and i have a million "possible" jobs lined up.

and i still have my old work place paying me for the next two weeks without working.

am i going to need to get a service job like bartending or serving?

well, i have a ton of assignments.

more later.

H. E.
v

2005-09-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

my first day in new york

<--a vain shot with my camera phone

my stuff is everywhere in my new apartment. i can't find ANYTHING. i would probably have a neurological overload if someone asked me to locate a fresh pair of underwear because right now, everything is a puzzle. and i hate freaking puzzles.

my first few days of living in New York have been really bizarre, but in an incredibly positive way. the feeling of being a tourist still hasn't gone away yet. i can't believe brooklyn is my home and that i get to wake up to the trains passing by everyday. it's really, really strange. i think it will be like this until i finally get all my shit together and move into my room. with all the people involved in terms of moving in and out of the apartment, i have no idea when this is going to happen. mir and i have had maybe two seconds together since our work schedules are totally different and in totally different parts of town.

well, let me begin with my first day in NYC.

i wake up on monday morning feeling incredibly lazy. the day was meant for low-key activity and newbie kinds of things like finding out where the closest coffee shop is and how far i am from the hipster area of w'burg, and finding a buyer for my car. my roommate boris gets up and asks me, "so, what are you doing today?"

"oh, nothing. i have no plans" (i never do). "what are YOU doing today?"

next thing i know i'm a tag-along photographer for a low-budget rap video and i'm sharing butt-cheek space with a japanese film dude named rio on an apple box jammed in the middle of this white van that has all this film equipment in it. four of us, rio, me, roy (who was driving) and boris (passenger seat) are all intimately and strategically seated in the front of this van.

the day is filled with mcdonald's, networking, very bad, unorganized caravan-ing which eats up about 80% of the time.

we drive all the way to far rockaway, into the projects, to get a "real feel" for the video.

we're filming this really short shot, and as we're wrapping up, there's a dispute between the crew and a belligerent local. he wasn't happy about the artist "exploiting the projects," and asked us to leave.

next thing i know....

a gun goes off and four shots are heard. everyone's running, and somehow, my feet take me to hide behind the van. everyone's at a different stage of panic. some people are freaking out, screaming, crying, on the phone calling 911, others are taking off in their vehicles (without everyone else). in my head there's a struggle about reality -- what's happening? were those firecrackers or are we really being shot at? is someone going to get hurt? are they going to shoot again? i end up jumping into a car with a couple of friends and we take off. all of us are thinking, "this isn't worth what i'm getting paid!!!"

the cops end up arriving and rather than really doing anything about it, advised that "we should leave."

the rest of the day, while not going very smoothly, was a lot more enjoyable and a whole lot less dramatic. we ended up in somebody's mansion in long island (a family connected to the artist) and shooting inside and outside the house. i was crippled because i'd misplaced my digital camera back at the apartment so all i had with me was my manual camera. i shot about 50 pictures on set, and just laid back and observed and got to know people. working on film is great! i never knew it could be so fun. especially after the whole "near-death" experience, everyone felt like family after awhile.

boris and i didn't crash back at the apartment til like 5am. and i had to get up in three hours for my new product design job.

and THAT's a whole different story which i'll have to leave for another post. i've discovered a Gold's Gym in brooklyn, and i'm about to jump on the G train to get to it.

happy entrails and don't get SHOT,
v.

smashing

2005-09-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

my lovely, memorable (although, my memory is failing me on the details...) last night in the burg. ahh, what a lovely way to go.

2005-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

a genuine farewell

<-- to your left - my famous moment in the Inside Out, Roanoke Times, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005.

i'm sitting here at the Easy Chair coffee shop, devouring my egg & cheese sammich, hoping that some food in my stomach and some strong brew of a coffee will reduce the pains of a really bad hangover, and i'm overcome with nostalgia and gratitude.

the signing went incredibly well. i got in at 630pm or so and came into this huge display for me. it was so nice!!! Russell put to good use my illustrations and had my books all on display.

i was really touched by all the folks that came in, in particular my kids who i teach art to (some really talented kids..can't wait to see what they come up with as they get older), my middle school art teacher, the delightful Ms. Olin, family friends who i hadn't been in touch with but saw my article in the paper, my professor/mentor-for-life/dear friend, Dr. Joe Germana, my college friends who drove in from Northern Virginia and Maryland just to show their support, a childhood friend who i've known since i was 8, and all my friends, co-workers, old and new, who gave me their word that they would be there, and followed through. seriously, i know there are good people in the world, but to find such great people all in one area just makes me in awe. thank you everyone!!!

so now i must leave and embark on the dread that is New York City. and i have, again, returned to being a live, headless chicken. only i'm hungover and lazy. i'm on my way, slowly, to getting out of here. i'm not in a rush. miriam is already at the apartment, settling in, and i am just reluctant to leave blacksburg. i have to admit it, i'm going to miss this place. to think that i've lived here for 15 years of my life just seems crazy....and to still love it so much, and to think that there is still so much more of it to see.

after the signing last night, i celebrated my "goodbye" with friends at my favorite pub, the underground. i ended up bumping into these kids i'd known all my life - kids i used to babysit, play soccer with in my backyard with my dad and my sister, go to swimmeets with...to see them all grown up and healthy and doing well -- it was amazing. it was so proper to bump into all of them too, being it was my last night on the town for awhile.

i took some crazy pictures, too...which i will be photoblogging shortly.

well. good times, good times. i have a lot of good memories to run through my head on the road to New York. i think they'll last me a good while.

thanks, Blacksburg. see you soon.

happy entrails,
v.

2005-09-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

adam, thank you

in all of this madness, i forgot to compliment and thank with complete gratitude, adam, my friend and interviewer for the roanoke times. the piece made me laugh, to be honest, as it reminded me of the great chemistry between the two of us, and of course, that raspy voice of his. comparing me to a, "feverish ant" was icing on the cake, and just how involved the interview got...

i feel like i'm all over the place in the interview, but i guess that's how i am =P. it was much, much worse in realtime, and i only pity adam for having to wade through all the bullshit in order to link together the piece with the pressure of making ME sound coherent. i don't know how possible that is, but from what friends have said about the article, they got it and liked it a lot.

i do have friends making fun of my crossed-eyes and red face in the pictures, but that's not really anyone's fault except for God's, and the ricockulous dispositions He put upon me. asshole.

anyway, thank you again, to my friend adam, who i sadly will have to part from, like blacksburg, much too soon.

2005-09-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

calmed

well again, it is 4am, and i am UP, which is not good, of course, but i have so many obligations tomorrow, and i am not close to finishing.

i can't believe i'm going to be in new york this weekend.

work today was relaxing for a change. normally i'm trying to calm down my kids, who, after being released from school, tend to favor unruly behavior. usually i am sleep-deprived (or, in unmentionable worse states) and angry or cranky and in need of coffee. but today they were really calm and inquisitive of my future plans in the big city.

before i knew it, about three kids and i were engulfed in drawing silly cartoons on the dry erase board, adding/subtracting eyeballs, noses, and gas-suggestive illustrations. it was great, and then we got busted by my boss (we were just making too much noise). all too often, i get in trouble WITH the kids. hmm.

how did i end up making this a more personal blog again? i thought i wasn't going to do that this time. =P.

UGH. tomorrow. STRESSSSS.

2005-09-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

bad photography.

okay, this will not be the first time i say this, but my life is really weird (or maybe it's just me). i got home tonight and found a few packages in the mail that i'd been waiting for. so one of these packages included some black & whites i'd recently sent off to get developed for some clients of mine, and i'd thrown in an old B&W roll from years ago that never got developed.

so i open the package and all of a sudden i'm in the middle of my senior year at virginia tech with my bestfriend and our ex-boyfriends, hanging out in my dorm room. and i'm taken back to la jolla, mission beach, and santa barbara, a few places my bestfriend and i stopped on our first california roadtrip together after we'd graduated from tech.

the night gets exceedingly more absurd.

so if you read the last post, you will have noticed that i have my cracked-out neurotic moments. well, since the whole "wednesday, sept 21" thing on the Inside Out confused the crap out of me, i decided that i had to drive into town and find myself a copy of wednesday's paper to make sure i hadn't missed my own article in the paper.

so here i am, parked outside foodlion, going through my purse, trying to find my wallet for change to put into the newstand.

and i can't find my wallet. in fact, i realize at that moment that i'd left it at home. i'm slightly incensed at this point (because it's a quarter til four in the morning), and i continue to tear up the rest of my car for change, until i notice headlights behind me.

it's the newspaper guy. so, instinctually, i jump out of my car and go up to him and ask him, "oh..is that uh, today's paper?" the dude is super nice and let's me look through it. like the hugest dork in the world, i go through it and see my face, and say, "oh well, heh, there i am!"

:D

so i buy a few off of him and now here i am, with my night completely shot. God, i'm an idiot. i used to publish all the time in the Collegiate Times and now i am full of energy from being published in the local paper. well, hey, it is in color.

but i'm sure i'm going to have to respond to a few inquiring-are-you-gay-or-straight stares at my signing which is rather annoying. (i'm not gay! but my friends are.) i also have to apologize to my friend because that really wasn't meant for..heh, um, public forum...i don't think she'll be mad, .. she might actually like that. guess we'll have to see.

so in those photos that arrived in the mail that had me down on a trip through memory lane -- yeah. terrible photos, which i took. black and white really doesn't capture the small-ranged versatility of the beach.

it's always interesting to look at old work. there's always some kind of alienation you go through....and that was really only a couple years ago.

happy entrails.
v.

2005-09-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

oh shit

http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideout/arts/wb/xp-33171

well, they spelled my name wrong at the top (dammit, well, bound to happen), and now i'm confused..i thought the IO came out...thursday? i hope i didn't miss out on the paper version.

anyhow, the paper people chose, OF ALL THE FREAKING MILLIONS OF DRAWINGS I GAVE THEM, the lesbian tattoo i did for a friend. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH BEING GAY, but i just wonder how many people are going to peg me a lesbian now.

i can just see it now, at the blacksburg high reunion which i will more than likely fail to go to (unless i'm FAMOUS! then i'll send a few representatives and show up in my private helicopter with some badass bodyguards, heh), people talking about the unusual number of gay women that popped out from our class, "oh yeah, did you guys know that Vanissa came out too? yeah it was a couple years ago...go figure, she was always into sports, didn't date in high school and was all artsy and stuff..."

ah, well, worse things have happened.

anyway, so now i'm wondering if i should go out in the dark of the night and find some of yesterday's copies of the Inside Out because on the top it says, "Wednesday, Sept. 21."

can anyone help me here?!!

and i was going to have a calm-collected-contemplative-early-morning-intellectual-bullshit-post too, CRAP!!!

okay, i've just come home to too many surprises. there is no chance in hell i am going to sleep tonight. i have too much work to do. AAAUUUGGGHHH

2005-09-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

free parking kicks a**!

hello. i'm typing from Easy Chair Coffee. i'm giddy with strange nervousness right
now. i'm not sure what it is. excitement for New York, the booksigning, all this crap that is happening AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.....

or maybe i have butterflies in my stomach because i know i am going to the gym in about ten minutes and i'm going to run my booty off after not having been serious about any workout (a rarity for me) for about 3 or 4 months.

well, one thing is for sure, tomorrow is Thursday and i'm nervous because my mug is going to be in the paper tomorrow, and i'm scared that they're using the pictures i *didn't particularly like of myself*. i hope that's not the case. the one that i'm posting here is the one i hope they use (please please please). this is a little nervewracking...to be in the paper. a little strange, but it is an interesting contrast to what i'll be feeling when i'm as valuable as the dogshit on the sidewalk by my apartment building.

i just keep thinking to myself, rooftop parties at my complex, network, network, network...studio space, walking around with a tie and not being mistaken for a little chinese boy.......or feeling like the only asian within my vicinity.

my agent told me yesterday how you just can't let the overwhelming intimidation of the city eat you up, because if you let it, you'll just lose and weeks will go by and nothing will be done.

for this reason alone, i am terrified.

on a positive note, the personal life that had plunged and caved in last week has taken a detour, which could also partly account for my particularly peppy attitude.

yay.

tomorrow is my last art class with my kids at my job. and i'm giving away free cartoons.

and get this - i remembered what i was going to blog about earlier. it was that my meter was out of order this morning down by bollo's cafe and i got to park downtown FOR FREE! yes, i know, that is retarded and the kind of retardedness that shouldn't even be blogged about. but i laugh at myself, so that's what matters.

happy entrails,
v.

2005-09-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

floaties on! everything's fine. please smack me aside the head.

so driving towards christiansburg last night to pick up fresh new copies of the revised version of Romance 101, it occurred to me how bad my memory is because i was thinking about this really great thing to blog about, and how i often come upon these totally blog-worthy moments and never blog them because i forget...for example, the thing i was thinking about was totally bloggable - i mean, complete geniusness, and now i have already forgotten.

are you confused? i am.

do you realize how cursed a short memory is?!!! it's tragic in a memento kind of way.

i have a really bad memory, apparently.

so if you're ever in a conversation with me, and i tell you something i have already told you, please don't be offended. it has nothing to do with you. although, if you smack me aside the head, maybe i'll remember. if everyone were to smack me aside the head every time i had a memory fart like that, think of the conditioning that it would put me through! then my genius ideas could be released into fruition through blogging, and my geniusness would finally be recognized and i would no longer offend or annoy any of my friends because i keep repeating these stories about my life!

oh yes, i remember now. no wait, i don't. was it my love for mega m&m's i wanted to express? or baked cheetos..no, i already talked about those. the fact that i need new running shoes, the gym membership i never use.....dammit, it's slipping..it's ...it's.....vaporized into thin air. DAMMIT!!!!!!

something has come back. i think i wanted to express drooling over the new drawing pens at mish mish - refillable, the nibs are replaceable...(is that how you spell replaceable? replacable...able...HUHH!!?), and they're made out of some really light metal and have this really cool touch to it. aaahhhh FANTASTIC ART PENS aaahhhhhh. was that it? that wasn't so brilliant! someone please smack me aside the head.

anyway. there is 1 bid on my car on ebay. 4 days left. there better be more bids.

kids, let this be a lesson for you. don't do crack.

2005-09-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

love ****ing sucks and i'm selling my car

well, i'm leaving the burg in a week and i'm getting a little weepy over it. i've ignored all my friends for the past week, working my arse off and tying up all the loose ends i have in this town.

needless to say, i'm going to miss blacksburg.

my personal life has taken this like, head-on collision, and i'm forced to push it all into the backseat of my car, and sell my car with all that baggage in it. would you like to have it? here it is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4576654702&sspagename=ADME%3AL%3ALCA%3AUS%3A11

bid away.

2005-09-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

the best stuff since nescafe.

yeah i'm going to start doing titles now. anyway, .. oMIGOODNESS i have amazing news!!! well, i discovered baked cheetos today, so yes, that is excellent news, but that's not just it...

i'm going to be in the Roanoke Times next week!!! AAUUGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

ok, if this isn't straight up masturbation, then, i don't know what it is.

i'm sorry. i'm overly excited, and i can't contain it. roanoke times is serious stuff. it's not the CT or anything (no offense...). it's the ROANOKE TIMES!!! AAAUUUGGGHHH this is eye-gauging MADNESS!!!

okay, now that i've calmed, i must thank mr. adam monroe. because he is my *in* to this new world of vanissa-in-print, and i want to thank you thank you thank you.

the above picture is a love picture i drew for him this summer, while overcaffeinated at bollo's late at night.

so this post is to you, adam. thank you.

oh yes. since we're on the topic of publication...

i forgot to mention (oops) that i am featured in Christine Forte's underground art & culture 'zine, TEXT. you can find these cute and colorful 'zines at Bollo's or Mill Mountain.

and my thanks to Christine, too.

my head is going to be just big enough to survive it's transformation back to puny-ness when i move to brooklyn.

THANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

2005-09-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

so i have returned to the 'burg after a long weekend in the big apple and i am super-super pooped. the good news is, while i'm currently being ridiculously lazy on this awesome vintage lazy boy provided by the lovely easy chair coffee shop, i did accomplish quite a bit this weekend (despite all the self-destructive partying that may or may not have taken place).

so, as the picture says, "ep asi," a cropped version of, "step aside," from the NY subway station, because i'm moving to new york!

i interviewed yesterday in brooklyn for a part-time designer position, and GOT IT! so, i am one-step closer to being less financially unstable. yay.

as for updates on anything pigmint art related, well, hmm....there really isn't a whole lot, other than people requesting copies of my boxed collection of 100 cartoons. that, and i'm coming out with a resized version of Romance 101 (smaller, to reduce costs), which i think will have a new cover.

so that's kind of exciting.

be there or be square - 7pm, friday, sept. 23rd....romance 101 booksigning.

:)

2005-09-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Things have been hectic, and that's an understatement by far. I am packing my bags tonight and moving over 50% of my belongings to Brooklyn tomorrow. I am trying to sell my car (please click here if you're interested), apply for jobs (in the areas of art, counseling, and restaurants), scrape up money for rent (my largest challenge and headache), organize the rest of my move, send out manuscripts & cover letters to literary agents and publishing houses, and complete a few commissioned pieces and projects...all by the end of this month.

I am basically no different from a live, angry, headless chicken.

HOWEVER....

This is great news. Easy Chair Bookstore is hosting a booksigning for Romance 101 at 7pm on Friday, September 23rd, at their store on N. Main Street. I am thrilled, excited, peeing in my pants, etc. If things work out right, it will be a perfect exit out of Blacksburg, and help me boost my confidence for the anonymous, insignificant, existential feel of New York City.

It will be the reason I don't curl up and die from discouragement when times get tough up there because no one will notice my work.

On that note, I hope all of you Blacksburgian locals can make it out that night, even if you already have my book or don't have the money to buy one (or simply do not want one), just to say goodbye. I would really like that. It would be really nice. I'll even sign body parts.

2005-08-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

well, it's official. my bestfriend miriam and i are moving to brooklyn - williamsburg, to be exact. as you can see in the picture, we're taking it on, full-force.

things are pretty crazy for me right now. trying to sell my car, consolidate my funds, work on my new website (which will be completely designed by me), finish up commissioned work, schedule future gallery showings, and work out my work schedule for september, my last month here in the burg.

i am super nervous, and super excited...a little sad. i know i'm going to be pretty nostalgic. afterall, blacksburg is my hometown.

i've met a lot of incredible people here. a lot of people who have helped me, and who have taught me more about myself.....

thanks everyone, i'll miss all of you. please get in your goodbyes, because you never know. it could be for forever.

2005-08-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

hello folks! it's been awhile since i updated. i've been laying really low the past few weeks due to surgery and multiple doctor/hospital visits. well, now that i'm back....

things are well. easy chair did this really nice thing where they displayed this huge poster i made for romance 101. i'll have to post a picture later. i think it will be good, especially since the virginia tech kids are coming back into town.

my third project, "Love Is Freedom," has taken a backseat to some other work i've been doing. i'm trying to pump up my portfolio for grad school so i've been spending a lot of time drawing naked people and stuff like that (groovy). i've also been working on character sketches of the older versions of James and Ophelia for my graphic novel.

one thing i wanted to post about was my account on Flickr.Com. it is predominantly a photography site, and i had, up until now, utilized it as such for a way to bring some exposure to my work as a photographer. however, i decided today that i'd wing it and upload some of my artwork.

so.....that is available for viewing here. i have also added a direct link to the link list at the right of my page. all my work on flickR is divided by sets (which can be found on the left side of the page), and is organized that way, so that is how i would suggest viewing my work.

thanks for reading!

2005-08-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

the side picture exemplifies a small view of what my booth looked like for Steppin' Out. with the exception of the entire second day, it was a pretty successful festival.

what happened was i was re-infected with strep throat, and by the second day, was not able to talk or even walk straight so i had friends set up and man the booth while i stayed at home hoping to recover quickly. it happened to rain a few times (which destroyed about three copies of Romance 101, grr), and without me being present and actively pushing my work, i think it was just hard for the remainders of my merchandise to catch the attention of browsers. :(

a surprise success however, was my second project, One Million Drawings. i had about seven box sets and all of them went by the end of the first day. this was very pleasing to me, considering the amount of work (hours) and frustration (figuring how to package it) that went in the the project. passerbyers who picked up the box would look into it and start laughing immediately, and usually by the end of their viewing, they realized they could not part with it :).

with that in mind, i would like to announce that 1 Million Drawings is up for sale through the internet, too. just email me and we can work out the transaction details. i'll have it going for $20 (which includes shipping) per box set.

there was some good networking that went on too, and i want to thank those of you who did take out your hand to me this weekend for being open with your interest.

other things i have for sale:
framed originals of 1 Million Drawings, $15 a piece (i have four left)
framed originals, miscellaneous, $10 (two left)
love plaques, $5
older ophelia paper mache box, $7 (two left)
art in a wooden frame, $7
boxes, miscellaneous, $7

and of course,
romance 101, $20 plus $3 shipping and handling.

thanks everyone.

2005-08-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

hello everyone. been awhile since i updated. our huge art/music festival, Steppin' Out is this friday and saturday and i've been swamped with work, reproducing, and drawing. it's going to be crazy and i'm pretty nervous about it. i'll be updating with some photos soon of some things i've been putting together, and also to advertise some new projects i've been working on.

if you're local, please come out and see us. we're going to be on the corner of Roanoke Street and N. Main Street. the festival is 10am-10pm both friday and saturday.

thanks for your support!!

2005-07-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

here is a glorious photo of Romance 101 on display at the Easy Chair bookstore.

my sincere thank-you (again) to the Easy Chair staff. you guys are so nice!!!

that's really all the news i have for now.

it's a very humid day =P.

2005-07-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

i haven't gone into town too much the past couple of days due to my three "chosen" nephews who unexpectedly came to visit. so instead of a first weekend of planning out storyboards and designing new logos and a new business card, my time was spent barbequing, watching bunny cartoons, tickle tortures, laughing like seals, and watching them due "backwards canonballs" off of the diving board.

ah, well, it was time well spent.

progress: a copy of Romance 101 has appeared in the window display at the Easy Chair bookstore. so now i have ultimate advertisement downtown blacksburg .. thanks guys!!

in the works: publishing and advertising.

i do not have a degree in business, so seriously, anyone who can help me out in this area...that would be nice.

oh, i have just also picked up 13 more copies of Romance 101...HOT OFF THE PRESS...11 which still need homes, so please, anyone who has not ordered one, please email me now!

i've also been getting some positive feedback from people who have received their copies - thanks everyone. compliments are great, and so are criticisms, so please feel free to tell me how you really feel.

adios!

you want to see us.

2005-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

four,
originally uploaded by v a n i s s a.

my kids say: you want to see us play basketball and act all cool doing our cool shots and poses.

and i say: yes, you want to see my photos. :D

2005-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

i seriously thought it was going to be the end of pigmint strips when yesterday i was diagnosed with strep throat, and suffered severe fever chills for about 24 hours straight.

after sweating buckets away, i am now alive and seemingly well.

hanging on with claws of desperation, i was sending text messages like, "you can have my vhs collection," and "i want you to know that i've always loved you and by the way, i have always really hated how you part your hair and let that one curl fall on your forehead."

but, to everyone's dismay, i woke up somewhat refreshed, and it no longer feels like someone is shoving needles down my throat when i swallow, so i can start eating again. yay!

progress with the strips are coming along. the second book should be done by .. mmm, a week. i am trying to think of a good title for it. suggestions, comments welcome.

i don't know how long it is going to be yet, but it shouldn't be longer than 40 pages.

and the thank you page won't be as comprehensive this time, since i thanked all you !@#$'s so generously in Romance 101.

OH YES! i ordered two ophelia shirts from cafepress.com last week and they came in the mail today! the quality of the shirts are really nice (most of them are by companies like american apparel and this one shirt is by this company called, Hyp) and they printed out perfectly....so, buy my tee-shirts, buy away!!

and on that note...

that is all.

2005-07-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

greetings from shawsville where i work with the most hyper, insane, malicious, obnoxious, smelly kids in the southwest of virginia.

just kidding. i love my kids. i've come down with some kind of flu and am completely miserable. my drawings have gone from bizarre to bizarr-oh. something about boogers and brainwashing children by showing them a horror movie about collecting snotballs.

yes, my humor has become more and more depraved.

anyway.

please check out my newest product featuring these ugly little aliens i've been drawing:
http://www.cafepress.com/pigmint.26055632.

i may have to open an entirely separate store for this logo.

i think the message is strong.

2005-07-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

hello everyone. i know, three posts in one day??? well, i have to add some body to this. i forgot to mention the specialness of today. (let's hope that this isn't already starting out to be an ultra-boastful kind of blog, but then again, i'll always have zach's site whip my ass when it comes to the measurements of egotystical expression.

news: i had my very first in-store (not internet-store) sale of Romance 101. it occurred sometime last night at the local bookstore, Easy Chair which is located on main street right beside the post office. :D

so i went there after work and picked up my very first check from a bookstore and sold them two more copies of Romance 101. yes, yes, my work is in high demand!!

the taste of success was GLORIOUS!!! i even saved the voicemail the dude from the store left me.
anyway.

oh, yes...and i had my very first interview for a local magazine called, TEXT, on sunday afternoon. thanks to the delightful and ambitious christine forte (the editor of Text), my fragile ego was stroked for nearly an hour's time. it also was glorious, and the interview will be available for reading pleasure hopefully mid-august. i'll keep you posted.

that's all.

just saying hi...and testing flickr.

2005-07-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

fisheyevintage,
originally uploaded by v a n i s s a.

i just recently upgraded my flickr account to flickr PRO* so i'm stoked..and will be utilizing it to photoblog. this right here is a cool shot of myself during one of my shifts as a youth counselor. :D

2005-07-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

hi everyone. my name is vanissa and i am an artist.

after a .. mmm .. 6 month hiatus i decided to start up blogging again. i think i find it somewhat mastubatory. but with recent progress in my professional life, i thought putting something together would be a good way to keep friends and fans in the loop.

the past month i have spent most of my time working two insane jobs, but in my spare time i have started and completed my first illustrated book - Romance 101 - a picture book for adults, if you will.

there is potential for publication, as i am currently getting copies out to as many publishers as possible (any advice, referrals, would be nice). if you are interested in purchasing a copy of my book (i went ahead and printed it myself), please email me at vanissawchan@yahoo.com, or send me $23 ($20 for the book, $3 for the shipping) through paypal.com if you have a paypal account.

throughout this blog i will be posting bits and pieces from my current projects, including Romance 101 for everyone to get a feel of my style. i've also recently opened a store on cafepress.com. the store features my work printed on t-shirts, stationary, and home office stuff like wall clocks and aprons. i even made boxer shorts and a love thong. :D it's pretty tight. if you would like to browse, please visit the store at cafepress.com/pigmint.

thank you for reading everyone, and many thanks to my friends and foes who i convinced to buy my book. :D