AmandaMuses

Category: Thoughts

  • Direction

    A few weeks ago, I wrote about my increasing lack of written or personal blog content. I explained briefly my reticence due to concerns about personal privacy (which seem to have gone to an unnecessary extreme), thought that it was time to get over it and share more and then asked somewhat rhetorically about people’s…

  • For Tom

    It doesn’t matter whether you won or lost…. just that you tried your best. So just keep trying. Update: Like this photo? Now it’s available as a matted archival print here in my Etsy shop.

  • Photos from the road

    It’s been a long time since I’ve shared photos or non-daily portrait work with any regularity; but thank you, dear readers, for your patience. I think it’s time to end the wait…wouldn’t you agree?

  • Glacial Melt

    Haven’t been feeling it lately as no doubt evidenced in the daily portraits and lack of chatty posts. Hang in there, dear readers, my brain will defrost sometime soon. In the meantime, please feel welcome to share any content requests you may have. And welcome to all the new readers from around the world–thanks for…

  • Not to worry…

    Var inte rädd … Jag har inte glömt er alla… In the midst of a move, the last three weeks have gotten away from me. But fear not, dear readers, I shall return to more active and regular updates very shortly…

  • Day 196–Up all night

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve had trouble sleeping… An old friend told me years ago that we’d sleep when we’re dead.. I quite agree….

  • Don’t Stop

    Despite unrelenting rain for the last few days, I’ve been in a pretty great mood lately, yesterday especially. But today, a warm, glorious sunny day, I’m feeling blah–seems I’ve strained my upbeat muscle(s). So, I’m trying to perk up with music in the form of a fairly ridiculous and silly playlist this afternoon. Among the…

  • The end of publishing?

    The end of print publishing? Or?? Watch and see:

  • Hardware Failure

    This morning has brought hardware difficulties to my studio which prevent digital work from being undertaken until repairs can be made. As a result, AmandaMuses will not likely see many updates during that time. Stay tuned, folks….

  • Valentine’s Day

    So it’s Valentines Day, for those who celebrate the occasion… Can’t say I’m the biggest romantic– I gravitate towards the Baudelaire and Poe end of the spectrum versus the Keats and Byron end. Even so I enjoy thoughtful observances of the day whether experienced first hand or not–it is a shame really that we need…

  • Things that got me through Snowpocalypse 2 and 3

    Atlas Snowshoes–with ~4′ of snow on the ground, these are almost a necessity Keen boots–without a good pair of boots, snowshoes aren’t much use Under Armour base layers–keep warm and dry no matter how wet you get in the snow Design House Stockholm pleece–warm and snuggly North Face WindWall–keeps the wind out and adds a…

  • Day 21–A year ago

    I took this shot of myself a year ago today when I lived in Oakland, California. A lot, thank goodness, has changed since then… not the least of which is my cyborg eye shrinking back to its normal humanoid size…

  • Rusting on the vine

    It has always fascinated me how seemingly trivial things can trigger one’s memory on a dime and transport you to another time or place in an instant– hidden snapshots of one’s life peppered throughout our daily comings and goings. This morning, paying bills at my desk and watching the rain pour down, iTunes surprised me…

  • One of those days

    It’s just one of those days; we all have them– you wake up and the world feels grey and unwelcoming. You scuff around and feel sorry for yourself and maybe mope a little. Well today, I’m having one of those days. BUT instead of moping about like a fool when I feel like this, I…

  • Why be good when you can be better?

    When I was an undergrad in design school , I was one of the weakest drawing students among my peers our freshman year. My professors, patient and inspiring though they were, seemed to remain concerned about my weaknesses in the fields of drawing and craft; it was the final pin-up discussions at which I shone.…

  • New year’s resolutions

    I’m not one to make new year’s resolutions, generally, but this year it just seemed right. This year, I aim to: Draw More I’d really like to try and make more of a habit of sketching during my travels and off time. Be Happy I’ve learned a lot during the last few years, I’ve done…

  • Jul

    How are YOU celebrating the holidays, dear readers?

  • Branding defined

    While catching up on news and blogs this evening after spending much of the last two weeks on the road, I came across a post by Seth Godin about branding that caught my eye. Over the last few months, my brand hat has been collecting dust on my career hat rack while I shift focus…

  • Astonished by drawing

    “Accuracy is the least significant part of drawing… but you have learn to draw accurately before you can do anything else…” Five minutes with Milton Glaser on drawing from 2006. Video by C. Coy

  • Branding Cymru

    Earlier today, I came across a post from the Institute of Welsh Affairs blog by Rhys David (as linked by Quixotic Quisling) that discussed Wales‘ image or ‘brand perception’ among world travelers. The post outlines the 2007 survey conducted by Simon Anholt and others, as well as the findings of this year’s survey in which…