Creative Connections - Kizzy Lou

A birthday Estrada toon and the lovely artist who drew it

When you go to conventions or when you interact with creators of all types through social media, you find a wide array of fun people with a variety of skills. Sometimes it’s someone who can record audio books, other people can score a movie, some people can possibly be the perfect artist for the cover for your book, and beyond. In the case of Kizzy Lou, her super power is smile inducing cuteness and I’ve lost count how many of her artworks make me smile. Recently she did the artwork of me for my birthday and I really really wanted to share her awesomeness with more people. So here are a few questions to get to know Kizzy Lou.

 

1. Firstly, thanks SO much for dropping by the blog. We’ve known each other for a while now but let people know who you are and how long you’ve been an artist.

 

Thank you for inviting me! I'm Kiera, but most people online know me as Kizzylou or just Kiz. I've been drawing since I was a child, and some of my earliest and clearest memories involve crayons and paper.

 

2. So I have to ask, where did the slug club idea come from and how many slug designs have you done so far?

 

Slug Club started as a joke - I drew my husband as a Slug and slapped it on a mock ID badge. I stuck it up on twitter and jokingly asked if anyone wanted to join, and was completely stunned at the response! I've done 108 IDs so far, and am happy to draw more.

 

If you want to join the Slug Club, just write Kizzy :)

3. You take requests on your RedBubble page, right? What are some of the most unique commissions you’ve been asked for and what’s your process when you take on a project?

 

Yep, I'm more than happy to take requests on Redbubble. The most unique ones I've drawn are 'punchlines' - they're the end of a long in-joke, like Brandon Flowers of The Killers eating a bacon butty (sandwich), or Anxiety Snail saying "Twice more than Jesus"...

 

Commision 

Commission

My process depends on the request. If I'm unfamiliar with the subject it's Google, Google, Google for reference material, then sketching until it's right. Then I ink and colour, send it to the client, and cross my fingers! I also design tattoos, and the process for that is pretty similar.

 

4. What does art mean in your life? 

 

Art is really important to me. Drawing helps me cope with my mental health issues: I have Borderline Personality Disorder and depression (un-fondly referred to as my 'brainweasels'), and when I draw, it literally puts me in a better place, mentally.

 

Other people's art is also important. I follow a lot of artists online, and as well as causing me to sob "I'LL NEVER BE ANY GOOD!!!", they inspire me to try new things and motivate me to try and be better.

 

5. If you had a snack named after you, what would it be called and what would it have?

 

Ooh, I like this one. If I were a snack, I'd be sweet and slightly salty, so I think one of those posh chocolate bars with caramel and sea salt. I haven't a clue what I'd be called!

 

6. What are some unique places where you’ve gotten requests from?

 

I recently got a request out of the blue from Puerto Rico, which blew my mind. I drew Slug Club ID' s for people in the US, South Africa, Belgium, Australia...

 

7. What inspires you?

 

My family are a big inspiration. If I run out of ideas, they're always happy to give me prompts. Same for my friends online.

 

Artists I like are mostly fantasy artists like Geoff Taylor, Michael Whelan, Vallejo & Bell... I also follow tattoo artists, and that's a major inspiration.

 

8. Do you have a design music playlist you listen to while designing? 

 

I don't have a playlist, sadly. I generally work against a background of The Family doing what they do. If I get the chance to work quietly, I like to listen to audiobooks. 

 

9. What would you say to someone who wants to do fun art for others?

 

If someone wants to do fun art for others, I say GO FOR IT! It's a small and effective way to put good into the world and bring a smile to other people's faces. And it makes the artist feel good, too :)

 

10. Where can people find and support you?

 

You can find me on Twitter: @kizletwiggle

 

Instagram: @kizzywiggle

 

Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/kizzy (if anyone wants to buy me a cuppa!)

 

Or Redbubble: www.redbubble.com/people/kizzyslugs

 

I'm happy to chat, to take requests, or to encourage others. 

 

Thank you again for having me, it's been great chatting with you.

 

-

 

So there you have it folks. By all means give Kiera a follow and if you do, tell her JD sent ya lol. She's a great friend, PLUS, she can slug you the right way. :D

I got slugged! lol

Also, keep an eye out for more Creative Connections from all around the world. 

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls

 

JD

 

 

 

 

Birth of a Twist

In my search for photography that captures what I’m trying to communicate, I often get to the point of “good enough”. Add to this that I also have to worry about copyrights and other details, and lately more and more I’ve opted to use my own visuals to convey my message.

I want more than good enough, I wanted something mine... but I needed some help.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m fascinated by humanity and what makes us human. That said, I wanted something simple and basic to communicate things that are complex and while searching for something to help me out, I remembered an old friend who kept me company in many an ad agency and helped me mindsurf to relieve stress.

He was with me for the longest time and I always wondered if there was something more for us to share. Recently, I remembered Twist. I wrote him a message, asked if he’d like to help and this was his reply:

“As long as you take pictures of me surfing, count on me for anything.”

So here he is, dear friends. The model at the For Writing Out Loud blog, Twist.

Cheers

Oh and here's a pic of our first surf session. 

Creative Track Listings - Movie script

When you write, sometimes you easily get a feel for what you are writing easier than others and for me, something that's actually helped me to establish the tone of a story and the rhythm of a scene is to have a track listing made up. My exercise is pretty simple, think of your story or novel as a movie adaptation and ask yourself which music you would put where.

Tracklists for some bands are definitely something they hold sacred to, although I'd prefer to ascribe to the philosophy of Pearl Jam. Their track listings are made during the night of the concert, the encores change depending on the crowd and they do audible changes flipping on the switch and changing the song they were going to play. That's because they respond to emotion and as writers, we should obey our emotions as well, going to where the story calls us to go to.

For this time I chose to put up an incomplete list for something that is just starting to get in the works in my brain. This means that odds are I won't work on this for maybe up to two years... So to help me remember what I want my story to feel like, I did a pre track listing of the scenes I've already drawn out ideas for. This helps me to not only remember that feeling but to know how I want to vary the "album" so to speak, meaning, if there are too many slow songs, maybe I want to throw something in to kick things up a notch.

It's a very fun exercise and one that is tailor made for me since I love writing lists. So without releasing a title, a concept or any type of description, here's the preliminary track listing for a future script, due out who knows when. Feel free to guess what I'm going to write about and click the links to discover new music.

Cheers

1. Sextape – Deftones
2. Surf wax America - Weezer
3. Queens of the Stoneage – Autopilot
4. A star is born – Amusement parks on Fire
5. Queens of the Stoneage – In the Fade
6. Robi Rosa – Mad Love

 Thanks to @Raishimi for the idea to share these track lists.

* Image from http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/95/setlist_sacto.gif. All credit goes to them and Pearl Jam

Audible inspiration: Elbow

When it comes to inspiration, our senses can definitely free our mind. In my constant search for great music, 9 years ago I stumbled upon an English band that would become one of my favorites and would eventually mark my work to a huge degree. Elbow is on my bucket list to see live for several reasons although the obvious one is that their music is amazing. A band that still believes in albums, track listings and letting your ears take you on a journey, each Elbow album is amazing in its own right and they keep getting better, which is why they are the band I’ve most recommended in my life... well that and the fact that a lot of people still don’t know about them stateside at least.

Regardless, the Elbow lads have incredible layers of sound with deep soulful lyrics that are quite relatable.  They can capture beauty in the simplest of things and describe friendship in a way I don’t think anyone else can. Then again, these are guys who enjoy each other’s company, who play because they enjoy it, who write and play because they love it and who go out for a beer right after a show because they’re family.

In my writing they figure largely into a short story in an upcoming compilation and a YA novel that is about 25% done. In my life, they pop in regularly when I need a pick me up or just because. They also consistently figure into lists of people I’d most like to have a beer with and chat. While other English bands are full of themselves, Elbow has always been characterized by how low key they are, even when writing music that is a permanent staple in the soundtrack of my life.

If you haven’t listened to them, by all means, do yourself a favor and change that. 

Music to write to: Xenogears Creid Soundtrack

When we write, sometimes we want to inject our words with an extra feeling or emotion. We could be drinking something, reading something on our off time or listening to music while we write (something i do a lot). Regarding our sense of hearing, I have LOTS of music I can write to although I'm not the norm since I can listen to music with lyrics without having pieces of the lyrics popping into what I'm writing... although sometimes it does happen and maybe even for the better.

Recently a friend asked me for recommendations of music sans lyrics to write to and I decided to share the wealth.

The first entry I'm posting is the Xenogears Creid Soundtrack. [Click the link to go to the youtube playlist with it]. Although some tracks have vocals, I think it's an incredible collection of tracks that definitely inspire to write. I chose Creid to show that good music can come from anywhere, even videogames. Xenogears in itself is one of my favorite games of all time and the music had a lot to do with it.

So keep an eye out here and in the future for more music to write to.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD

Method to madness: finding inspiration

“How do I get inspired?”

This was actually a question I got asked the other day and to be honest, it kind of scared me. As a writer, lack of inspiration has to be frustrating, as a person it has to be borderline depressing. In essence, inspiration is quite possibly the best feeling in the world, especially since it can apply to anything you do. You can feel inspired to cook, clean, create, work, talk, chat, paint or help. It is the currency of desire and it’s up to us to spend it wisely and look for it anywhere we can.

So when I got asked that, it really made me think… what can inspire me?

Lucky for me, I’m actually pretty inspired and often look into different things to keep the muse fresh and flowing. I read, I write, I listen, I play, I try new things, I doodle and I daydream (a lot). I also work to the bone because although money can’t buy me love, it does happen to pay the bills and afford me the possibility to do other things. So to answer this question, I offer you two options, the five against one method and the stumble/spur method.

The five against one method is focusing on each of your senses and looking for alternatives to see how each one affects your inspiration.

·       Touch – Texture is vastly overlooked when it comes to inspiration and it’s one of the most powerful senses we neglect. The best way to explore this sense is with the assistance of someone. Arrange a series of materials and textures nearby and have them pass you the material so you can focus on how it feels while wearing a blindfold. I suggest a two person operation to ensure you deprive your sense of vision so all other senses are heightened. Have them pass you materials and then spend up to one minute with each material. Feel the contours, the shape, how it resists when you tug it or squeeze it. Really explore it and have your hands do the talking.

·       Taste – I LOVE tasting new dishes, new drinks, new candies. Does that mean I overlook my favorites or what would be deemed a classic? Of course not. The thing is that by broadening my horizons and exploring taste and texture, I gain a whole new appreciation for every new thing I taste. Some people stick to chicken and lasagna… although I enjoy both dishes, life is not the same flight every day and by varying what I eat, I vary the destinations I can traverse. When describing lumiere and nova in Only Human, I had AMPLE culinary experiences to know how they taste in my brain. Think of it this way, what did Butter Beer taste like in JK Rowling’s head? I’m pretty sure it’s pretty close to what they offer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter because at least for me, it was spot on and it brought a smile to my face to taste something I read. She could already taste it even though it didn't exist at the time. The same happened when I tried Turkish delight for the first time… and it didn’t take me a second attempt to understand why Edmund was enchanted by the White Queen.

·       Sight – by far the most abused sense is sight. It is also the one that receives the least variety. If you have a dayjob, you will probably end up looking at the same things over and over and over. Workbook sheets, texts, charts, powerpoint presentations and the such… if you don’t cleanse your palate, your sight might dull. What’s amazing about sight is that we also don’t care for it as we should. Most office lights do not project light in a full spectrum, this causes eye strain, visual fatigue and contributes to retinal decay. So it’s your job to look at fresh images to keep the brain functioning and active. On Facebook there are a ton of groups with interesting visuals to share which is a great starting point. Another thing you should do is check out nature. When was the last time you saw a leaf up close? We are surrounded by amazing achievements by nature and it’s there for you to appreciate if you only give it the chance.

·       Hearing – a lot of people say they don’t like X or Y genre of music, and I often think they’re doing themselves a disservice by not trying to find something within the genre that works for them, just to expose their senses to something new. So the first recommendation would be to listen to as much music as possible, including classical music. A lot of people say they don’t like classical music and I disagree… I just think they aren’t looking right because I’ve heard symphonic orchestras play the theme song to the Predator Movie and an Angry Birds suite and it’s fascinating how intense these pieces are. Not into classical music but a videogame freak? Then every year there are dozens of concerts that celebrate the achievements of videogames. Now that I got that out of the way… here’s another suggestions… take off your headphones. Listen to nature, listen to the bustle of people and see how many things you can pick up. Although it may not seem like it, we are immersed in melody and the thumping of machinery are the rhythm section. If you want to see to what level, listen to music by Stomp! or check out Koyaanisqatsi. 

·       Smell – As with all other senses, smell can be taken to another level by simply paying attention to it. Our bodies are amazing and we owe it to ourselves to explore each of our senses.

The second method I was referring to is the stumble / spur method. This one is actually a lot simpler. In a digital age where we have apps and the Internet readily accessible, it’s funny people don’t search for more information. Ask yourself what a nebula is, wonder what a base prime number is, search for Bruce Lee’s one inch punch, refresh information from grade school. Use apps like Stumble Upon, visit Mashable, click on I’m feeling lucky on Google.com and whenever a random question arises, either write it down or look for it in realtime.

And lastly, make sure you don’t have something else that’s keeping you uninspired. It’s also up to you to keep your mind, body and soul healthy (btw, you don’t need religion to nurture your soul, just saying).

Hope this helps and feel free to keep in touch here through twitter @jdestradwriter or through email @ jdestradawriter@gmail.com.

Peace, love and maki rolls.