Jaz Design

I figured I’d only do this once a month, but all my other blog topics I have lined up required too much thought and I’m still getting over a migraine!

I’ve made it 11 days I’m pretty pleased. I know there’s a way to go yet, but I’m really enjoying it so I intend to keep it up. I’ve also been doing well with my January goals (to be explained at the end of the month), though I will say they involve reading design related books at lunchtimes and I’m really enjoying reading New Media at the moment. It’s a very academic book which I did read bits of while I was at university doing my dissertation, but now I’m reading it cover to cover, and it’s totally waking my brain up!

Anyway enough chat:

For those of you that don’t know, a brief reminder/explanation…

What is Project 365?

Project 365 involves doing something every day for a year. It doesn’t have to start on January 1st, and it doesn’t have to be photography, though from what I’ve seen it does tend to be something creative. One photo a day, one sketch a day etc. The idea’s been gaining popularity over the years and I see more and more people doing it. In 2008 I managed to keep it going pretty well until the April and it petered out into June.

There was one guy who took one photograph a day for 18 years of his life. He was pretty cool, go check him out for some inspiration.

For an even more in depth explanation, check out this article on Fuel Your Photography.

How do I join in?

Just start! Whatever your passion, just go with it. If you want to share it with the world there are a variety of ways! flickr, tumblr, deviantArt, a blog… just get snapping and get sharing!

There are bunches of groups on flickr dedicated to Project 365. I joined Project 366-1 (2010) because many of the same people from the group I was in in 2008 are there. They’re full of helpful advice and suggestions about how to keep it going, and there’s weekly competitions which are pretty cool too!

Ok, so my birthday was like a month ago, but I never did talk about it and I would like to!

My birthday this year fell on a Monday, so the weekend was filled with a party with my friends and a party with my family – lots of good food, good conversations. I had a fantastic weekend!

For the actual day it was just the Mister and I, he took me up to London for a trip on the London Eye – having never been.

You can find some of my photographs on flickr. I thought it was a great experience. Would love to go up at night as well! We were fortunate enough for it to be a mild day, with some cloud cover but lots of sun, so the views were clear, but it wasn’t too bright.

I’ve fallen in love with the pseudo tilt-shift effect and so thought I’d try it out with some of them, since I was looking from above and all

I got a ton of presents. I love presents. I can’t help it, everyone loves presents. And I loved everything everyone got me this year. Such great choices! Some things I never knew I needed until I had them (I’m thinking of the book about how to make felt animals – see below)

This is a small selection of my presents, I still have one to cash in (shopping!) and any money I got went on the Great Devon Trip to see Muse. These are the ones I hadn’t found homes for before remembering to take a photo!

In that black box is some incense. I’m halfway through the “Logo Design Workbook” now. The notebook has become my art/design notes book.

Check out the TRADITIONAL SHERBET at the top there. So much better than the plastic packaged stuff. I’m eating it sparingly, trying to make it last as long as possible. I’ll probably keep one forever. The earings were made by my friend Michelle, you can buy more of her excellent jewellery on her Etsy page.

The Cute Book is the felt animal thing. I love sewing. It’s not something I ever make time for, but for some reason I just love it. I took textiles at GCSE as a result. I didn’t know I needed this book until I had it. I’m now in the process of making my first lizard, something more than one person has asked me for. Getting the felt involved a trip to a Hobby Craft and my God was I in heaven there! SO MUCH ART STUFF. I nearly had a heart attack.

And the Mister was so kind as to replace the cheapo Claddagh ring I accidentally put through the wash, with a nicer, more expensive silver one

I’ve been on a flickr uploading spree. This is pretty much my year in pictures thus far (up until May at least). I’m thinking of having a flickr cul actually, there’s a lot of pictures on there which I don’t think represent my best. I’m also beginning to accept that I’m not on the ball at all for Project 365 this year!

Last night was Muse at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust gig. It was pretty darn special.

I didn’t think much of the support (the Futureheads), just sounded like really loud guitars playing chord after chord but that might just be because I don’t know their music. They did alright – better than the Noisettes at Wembley Arena anyway.

So what was so special? There’s a reason Muse have been labelled the best live act around at the minute and that’s because they are the epitome of awesome on stage. They did all the usual songs (Feeling Good, Supermassive Black Hole, Time is Running Out etc) but also played Fury (which I’ve never seen live) and Megalomania on the (excuse me) big fuck off organ. Second largest in the UK according to wiki. A lot of Muse fans are pretty excited about that, with good reason. It was immense. Matt on that thing reminded me of the Phantom of the Opera a little, he just has that haunting quality.

Of course I was more than happy once they played Butterflies and Hurricanes, which had a bit of a different twist to the piano, and was as usual, spellbinding. I can’t help it. I love that song.

There was also a lot of other random riffs and little short pieces and things and Matt for some reason burrowing under his guitar… and the massive Bliss balloons, one of which Matt burst with his guitar at the end of the song.

Anyway, I started a YouTube account for the rubbish videos I made with my phone, the audio’s ok though. My yootoob. Includes Megalomania on the organ and Butterflies and Hurricanes.

Picture by olly_og @ flickr