JOURNALS

Today was busy, but overall, I feel like I managed to stay on track. The day started off with a lot of loud music to drown out those annoying roadworks right outside the studio. Honestly, it helped to keep me focused while I got cracking on my PaperCamp presentation. By around 09:10, I was still deep into preparation mode. I've got all the slides laid out, and I did a decent job of fleshing them out. Tomorrow, I'll need to take specific photos for the slides and run through the presentation a few times. Timing is always tricky for these things.

By mid-morning, I switched gears and started testing the new acrylic inks. The hunt for a good white acrylic ink that pops on black paper continues. Today's tests weren't exactly what I hoped for, but hey, that's all part of the process. I spent a fair amount of time between 10:58 and the afternoon just washing and cleaning pens, which, let's face it, is not the most thrilling part of this job.

The fluorescent pink ink was somewhat promising. It wasn’t the 80s neon revival I was secretly hoping for, but it did add a noticeable touch to the designs. I'll need to see how it fares on white paper next.

Despite the slow pace of ink testing, I felt productive. I dove deep into the physical aspects of the art, which is something I haven’t done for a while. It’s funny how much “being an artist” involves babysitting machines and cleaning tools, but I’m getting back in the groove.

As for gratitude, a few things stood out. First, having a sink in the studio was a lifesaver while dealing with all those inks. Second, playing music loudly to counteract the roadwork chaos was fantastic. Lastly, I cooked a tasty meal in the evening, which was a nice way to wind down after a busy day.

Tomorrow, I’ll tackle those photos for the presentation slides and aim to run through the whole thing at least a couple of times. Let's see how it goes.