CONSCIOUS STREAMS OF CREATIVITY

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO.....???

I've had a wild and wonderful few weeks preparing for yesterdays craft fair. On Sunday, Aug. 12th I set up the Kiss'n Kuzn's booth as a vendor at Craftivism. Yep I did the damn thang, and it was fun.

Here's a few pics of the booth.

The organization that hosted the event, AIGA Design, picked the site of L.A.'s new building of loft apartments - Santee Courtyard on 7th and Los Angeles Street.

Very beautifully decorated lofts and crafts go together like...I don't know, somebody thought they'd go together.

Each visitor was given two free drink tickets with their $10 admission. So one had to pass all of us vendors to get to the lofts and the bar. Very clever indeed.

The hosts said 400 people showed up. That's incredible. From my vantage point (and sales) I wouldn't have believed that many people were there, but it was a great experience and wonderful exposure.

The brother with the hoops is from Tanzania. I didn't want to ask him to take too many pictures, but he was dressed from head to toe in his traditional outfit. Click on the picture to enlarge it, and you'll see that he had a large disc under his nose and plates in his lips. My first time seeing someone like him up close.

I liked this purse this woman was carrying. It's my next project. :0)

Check out these interior shots of the lofts, the furnishings were exquisite.

It's amazing to me to see all these wonderful designers/crafters in Los Angeles vying to catch someone's attention and desires. That's what these events are really about. It's not so much whether you "need" any of the stuff - you see something and this desire kicks in...and you walk around and review everything everyone has to offer and then you make a selection. If the desire doesn't warrant a purchase, you take a flyer or a card and tell yourself that you "will" buy something at some later date. That's what I do anyway.

D'Merlincasell - fabulous original clothing. Haute Couture baby! This designer had his own booth space at end of the courtyard - standing alone from the rest of us. Very deserving too.

There was food, an on site art gallery and of course the lofts and bar to take in. Quite a lot to digest in four hours, but everyone I saw was smiling and having a great time.

I heard other vendors doing well while some didn't do much. It was hot, the sun kept taunting us going in and out, and then before you knew it, the day had faded away and the event was over. I'm glad I was a part of it.

I LOVE THESE TORSOES......awesome aren't they?

The artist, Michel Beausoleil, said that he used discarded torsoes from Neiman Marcus. I want that hook-up! :0)

ANIMATION NATION

I don't know about you, but I am "hooked" on prime time television shows featuring animated characters. And they're not cartoons, because cartoons are a whole other genre.

From the moment I saw "The Simpsons" on The Tracy Ullman show years ago, I knew that I would tune in to watch these wacky characters. To date there has been only one other show that rivaled the Simpsons for me, Eddie Murphy's "PJ's". Unfortunately the show was so frought with controversy on it's political correctness...it was doomed before we really had a chance to see how far it would develop.

It was utter nonsense to me the way Black folks were up in arms about this show. "It's stereotyping people in the Ghetto." "He's making Black Folks look stupid"...and on and on. Hello!!!??? It was a ground breaking idea, as there were no characters in cartoons or any other animated show that were about Blacks. Why can't we just let people do their thing, and respect their creative ideas? That show was funny, I don't care what you say. And on top of that....Black actors were working at a steady gig! What's the problem here?

I am the first one to get on my soapbox and talk about being politically correct. But the PJ's was nothing more than "farce" and it was damned entertaining - plenty of laughs and it was also educational. I dont' live in the ghetto, so I appreciated being informed on the term "ghetto fabulous" or "crackhead"....it was the first time I saw those characters, and it was in this show. And again...IT WAS FUNNY! Sometimes we're our own worst critics. Moving on....

Adult Entertainment themes...

Last night I was exhausted from the craft event, so I just laid on the couch and watched the whole line up on Fox TV - The Simpsons, American Dad and Family Guy. I also catch King of The Hill when I can because that truly is a funny show about Texas rednecks.

As I watched the latter two shows, with it's Adult Content viewer warning, I began to wonder how these shows can be so successful with the violence, sexual innuendos and dysfunctional family life they portray. The writers are witty and clever, but some of the dialogue makes even me blush at times.

If you have never seen American Dad or Family Guy, you owe it to yourself to watch a couple of episodes. As hard as they try to always end on a positive note, it's getting through all the blood and gore and racy humor that makes these shows a hit. I can't say that I watch each and every week, but like last night, if nothing else catches my attention - I am more than eager to watch an episode of these shows.

American Dad did a take on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and the Family Guy incorporated a very entertaining segment featuring a Hollywood Musical with Gene Kelly. It was a hoot! I enjoyed that sequence so much, I could not stop laughing. I also was in awe of the technology they used to digitize the baby, Stewie, into the scene because it was seamless. The show even ran opening credits like a movie studio movie would...it was sheer genius. Seth McFarlane, the creator of both of these shows has a team of creative people who really push the envelope.

American Dad had to grow on me at first as it features a talking fish (with German accent), and an Alien as part of the family. Even for animation, it was weird. But I watch and laugh "if" I get some their humor. It's that kind of humor that is pretty high-brow at times or just plain stupid.

I also like the idea of knowing that a lot of big name and unknown actors do the voices for these characters. They make guest appearances either as themselves, or some ludicrous character.

And even though you can count the number of cast "minority" characters on one hand, they are in these shows. Again, you never know who's working the voices, but it gives so many people a chance to make extra money doing voice overs and it's just plain fun I'm sure. Look at all of the feature films featuring famous actors? That in itself is testimony that actors enjoy this kind of work.

These shows have been on for years, and they poke fun at EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. And no one has any problems with it. People accepted it, and they watched these shows grow. I've always said, if you don't care for a television show, DON'T WATCH IT!! Instead, some people believe they wouldn't be exercising their constitutional rights if they didn't join in on the controversy. Now look what you're stuck with!!

I can't stand South Park, and I didn't understand why Beevis and Butthead were so popular. I watched. If I liked it I would tune in again...if I didn't like what I saw...I didn't watch. Pretty simple if you ask me.

So, if you think watching those cookie cutter sitcoms is really good television, think again. Tune in to Family Guy or King of the Hill, and you just might be surprised at what you find in Animation Nation. The world according to???.......indeed!