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Art Classes Pt. 1: Self-Portrait at 19 Going on 20

August 4, 2012August 25, 2015 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 1 comment
Art Classes Pt. 1: Self-Portrait at 19 Going on 20

This
week I started going through boxes that I haven’t looked at in ages to see what
I can get rid of.  While going through the
boxes I found a drawing that I honestly thought I had tossed at some point,
though I don’t know why I would have. 
It’s a self-portrait that I drew in the weeks before my 20th birthday for a drawing class that I took my first semester in college. 
My professor told us to draft on a smaller sheet of paper and then do
the drawing for the project on a larger (poster board-sized, basically) sheet
to hand in.  I spent a lot of time on my
smaller portrait and not as much on the larger size.  This is partly because I’m more comfortable
with drawing in a smaller scale and partly because I got carried away and ran out of time.  I remember working on this drawing while at the Science Museum Omni
Theater.  They had one of their movie
marathons and my dad and I bought tickets for each movie.  They let us stay in the theater between
shows, so in between movies I whipped out my sketchbook and a small mirror
and got to work. 

Anyway,
the drawing:
It
wasn’t one of my best drawings from the semester; as soon as I first saw it
while digging through a box I started picking out the many flaws.  That’s just me, I’m nit picky.  But even though it wasn’t my best, it was my
favorite.  (Except for that larger
version; that version was awful.) 
This
drawing represents the 19 going on 20-year-old Crystal that was torn between
countries.  I love the US but I’ve
always experienced wanderlust and have had a desire to travel the world.  When I was 18 I spent nearly three months in
Dakar, Senegal and felt a very strong connection to the country. The part of me
that yearns for Africa is represented by the cornrows and the (supposed to be)
henna detailing around half of my face.  I drew this self-portrait during the spring semester and had just
returned from a holiday trip to Austria. 
Vienna is a magical city over the holiday season and I was in love.  Because hese two countries were so
important to me, I wanted them represented in this
self-portrait so I attempted to draw them into the background.  Obviously that didn’t so well and if I were
to redo this drawing, I would try to incorporate them more organically into the
portrait.  They also need work because it was at that point that I realized that I should probably start working on the
larger version of this drawing so I rushed them.  (Oh, England is in there too!)  
Now, when I look at this drawing I actually have
to force myself to see Austria because I’m so focused on Africa.  I drew the continent, shaded in Senegal and
that little sliver cutting into Senegal is supposed to be Gambia.  To me, it just looks like an arm-less
dinosaur running with its mouth open.  I
remember purposefully trying not to do actual outlines of the continents and trying to do representative shapes instead.  My teacher said that I should have done the
actual outlines and now I totally understand why!  Oh well, you draw and learn, right?
About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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One comment

  1. *tarazza says:
    August 6, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    What a great post! I love seeing the artwork and your analysis of a sort of then-and-now viewpoint. It's a cool art exercise, but also seems to have made for a great writing exercise.

    Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily “I love you’s” are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. 💙
Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! 👋🏼 Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. “The water looks cold,” I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. 😂)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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