Yes folks, it’s the not-so-infamous Devin, ready to get right back into it. Finally.

As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted here for ages. But now that  my graduate thesis show has come and gone, I’m making a come back! Risen from the dead in a way…the death of one version of me having come from grad school.

All the hard work, all the labor, all the tears and frustrations and small victories led to something I almost can’t recall doing anymore; A THESIS! – MY Thesis…holy shi*t. But thank goodness IT IS DONE!!!

Grad school was such a strange experience. In the three years I was in graduate school, I’ve learned some incredible things about the world, art, my friends and family and most importantly about myself. While in retrospect I can appreciate some of the many ways I was forced to grow, I can also honestly say – I don’t miss a damn freaking thing about grad school other than the people in the program that I liked. And the list of those people is rather small. That being said I met some of the most inspiring, intellectual, kind hearted and good natured folks you could ever hope to meet.

Over the coming weeks/months/years I’m sure I’ll come back and reflect on that period of time in my life when everything was just constantly GO GO GO GO GO and remember the good times and the bad with a knowing smile – I SURVIVED MOTHA TRUCKAHS!!! I SURVIVED!!! And I’m better for it, to be sure. But again, the school part? I don’t miss a single moment of it.

So, after the graduation ceremony and the thesis show I still had one credit to satisfy which I finally just finished two weeks ago. HOT DAMN FOLKS, it feels amazing to be free again. But even though I had that one (big) credit to be working on, I was still able to find ways to enjoy myself – primarily through small food adventures and beach volleyball! That plus work was about all I could take on while working on my independent study but now that it’s all over over for real, I’ve been just DIVING into life again! I watched the entire series of The Dollhouse last week and have taken out most of the first season of True Blood, getting ready to move onto season two…just feeding my glutenous film/tv self and loving every second of it! (Thank you for being the best invention ever Netflix – I heart you).

The other appetite I’ve been feeding is, as I mentioned above, my appetite for fooooooood. Yummy yummy food. I can guarantee in the coming months you will be seeing many posts regarding food.

You will also see posts regarding my current marathon goal (three marathons back to back), posts about upcoming creative endeavors (because now that I’m DONE being bossed all of the time I actually feel creatively inspired again and therefor want to CREATE again) and probably more of the same ole same ole daily grind chit chat.

So for now I’ll keep this on the shorter side (for me anyway) and leave you with some fun pictures of the delicious and sometimes goofy “meals” I have found myself partaking in recently. I’m looking forward to getting back into blogging again as I have truly missed it (and the interactions that were caused by it) tremendously.

Hope this message finds you all happy and well!

Peace, good cheer and joy!
Flower Power Devin

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THE TIME HAS COME MY FRIENDS!!!

THIS FRIDAY, April 23rd, 5PM – 8PM(ish)
1104 S Wabash
2nd Fl – Center for the Book & Paper Arts Gallery
Chicago, IL 60605

(lots of parking lots, street parking available & one block away from the Roosevelt Red/Green/Orange line stop!)

DEVIN MAGAZINE is ready to be LAUNCHED!

The project I’ve been working on (and freaking out over) for the past several months has finally come to fruition and I’d LOVE for you to see the fruits of my labor!!!

Please join me for wine, cheese and much merriment as I celebrate this momentous occasion with 13 other incredibly talented artists as we all debut are work together in one very exciting show!!!

I promise to look as fabulous as possible and cannot WAIT to see you there!

IF YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS DATE – there will be a second “opening reception” FRIDAY, MAY 14th from 5 to 8:30(ish) as well, which I’ll be posting another event for!

CHEERS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THE HAPPINESS WITH YOU ALL!!!

XOXO,
Devin

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Ivan, technological guru and genius friend of mine, saved my white girl ghetto booty yet again with all his technical know-how and a saint like patience by helping put the actual thing together in programs I’ve never used before. InDesign…I WILL learn you and then I’ll smack you around like you’re my bitch! Ya HEAR ME?! Ha. InDesign was smacking ME around like I’m it’s little bitch. DAMN!

Photoshop was also having it’s way with me. DAMN ADOBE AND THEIR AWESOME PROGRAMS! They are so wonderful and powerful if you know the language to unlock their goodness, but if you don’t speak the language, don’t know the symbols or what you want to do is actually called, then it’s a real pain in the ass to work in their programs. I know, I’ve been struggling with them for weeks now.

I do know them better now, but not well enough, not at all. This summer I hope to learn more however. I like the idea of what I’m working on and want to continue it, but definitely need to be able to do this sort of thing without the help of my dearest friend. He needs a BREAK from MY SCHOOLING! lol. Sad…but true.

In fact, ALL of my friends and family need a break from my schooling. It’s amazing I still HAVE friends to be honest. I mean, I have lost some, that’s become increadibly obvious lately, but those that were true to begin with (or at least who cared about me as much as I cared about them) are still in my life and happily waiting for me to be done with the madness that is my MFA and to get back to living again.

Ah…living. Watching tv without guilt. Going out on a Thursday night. Hanging out with my friends. Spending time with that someone special. Spending time with my little babies! So far in this process I’ve definitely lost two solid friends I can think of immediately and I’ve successfully killed four plants I had for over 6 years each. [sarcastically claps to self] Well Done Devin. *sigh*

But I will be emerging from this program and experience with some incredible gifts and knowledge. I’m so much stronger now than I was before all of this happened. I appreciate that.

But right now, more than anything, I appreciate those friends of mine who have really stuck by me through this process. Those people who were there for me, not just in my times of need, but in times of joy and also in times of their need. I have a long list of people I need to thank, but for starters I have to list a few people who have been hearing me bitch, cry, moan, complain, doubt, suffer, rejoice and dream the most. Of course I’m going to mention Ivan. He’s been up with me these past several nights (weeks) putting in full days at work, freelancing on top of that and then helping me into the wee hours of the morning on the actual set up of my project. Amanda is someone I work with and someone I just really enjoy the company of. She reminds me of my older sister for so many reasons which totally rocks. She’s also listened to me stress like few others, and despite that has remained enthusiastic and incredibly helpful in the production of my magazine. She and Ehren have both been doing heavy editing on my work which has saved me from myself countless times. THANK GOD FOR SMART EDITORS!!! Haley is also someone who needs to be mentioned. No matter how much was on her plate, how much she was doing, even if she couldn’t actually help me with something, she always responded to my emails, texts and phone calls. That’s kind of a big deal as I’ve learned these past few months that it’s a huge pet peeve of mine when people do even respond with a “hey, I got your message, sorry I can’t write more…” Just urks the hell out of me. If I ever do that to you, please let me know. Remind me. Say, “Hey bitch, why didn’t you respond within a couple hours of receiving my message?!”

Finally I gotta mention two more peeps…my sister Terra who has been so unbelievably supportive it makes me tear up. Whenever I was flipping out about not being good enough to smart enough or if I would graduate or not, she would jump right in with “YOU ARE THE BEST DEVIAN!” and you know what? I really think she means it. And that has meant sooooo much to me. Because when I can’t believe it myself, it saves me from total doubt when those most important to me believe it for me. And last but not least would be my special someone. Man oh man. The madness he’s been put through with me. I know he hasn’t bolted for the door simply because he’s known me for years and obviously that’s long enough to know that my recent behavoir is not my norm. But seriously….how many times have I just gotten silly about the dumbest possible things? Too many lately. I have someone who supports me in any way he can and does so without complaints. He believes in me even if he doesn’t fully understand what I’m trying to do or trying to say. He’s honest. He’s committed. He makes me laugh and when I need it, he gives me the best hugs.

If you know me, you know I’m not little miss hugs. But from certain people, a hug is just what I need. Thanks baby…you’ve been awesome throughout this process. I know you can’t wait for me to be done with this program and have my life get back to “normal” so you can have your “normal” less stressed out and overly goofy girlfriend back. Soooooon right? In the mean while, I’m gonna continue to beat this bitch and GET ‘ER DONE!

Anyway…the list of those to thank is long…but I had to mention the few who have really helped me out the most (and by the most I mean like woah crazy amounts of help, love and support). Ya’ll rock and I look forward to giving back to everyone just what they have given to me and more.

Post card for the show coming tomorrow: in the meanwhile, *the date* is: April 23rd @5PM at 1104  S Wabash, 2nd floor – keep that in mind.

THESIS MOTHA FUCKING SHOW OPENS!!!! Be there, or be s q u a r e !

YAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

By next Friday, I’ll be a very very VERY happy camper! WOOT!

Ciao!

• Thesis is starting to get finished up. Install for the show happens over this weekend into the beginning of next week. I’m almost there…I can see the light at the end of this tunnel…I think.
• I heard this Adam Lambert song a month or so back, when things are school just REALLY started to come to a head. I felt it was sooooo appropriate for how I was feeling. It became my secret anthem (because yeah, I was sort of ashamed to admit that I liked an Adam Lambert song or that I might possibly be this anxty).
• TK told me to watch the video after finally hearing the song I had been talking about as my song – just watched it, and yeah, gonna have to just suck it up and admit that Adam Lambert is pretty damn hot. He’s a man, who looks like a woman, and screams when he sings, he he’s a man, but I know he’s gay so he’s an even cooler man because he’s got style…so yeah, Adam Lambert = hot sex in my book right now and if he were a woman or a straight man, I’d totally get with that! lol.
• This song is soooooo what I sometimes want to say to the “powers that be” in my program. That and I wanna flick ‘em off. And, I’d like to tell a few people to stuff it where the sun don’t shine while I’m at it. Of course, I’ll never get this opportunity in real life so I am reduced to either hold it in or blog about. Clearly, I’m choosing the latter…

Anyway…thesis…yeah…that motha fucka of a project is FINALLY coming to fruition. Tomorrow the mag is OUT OF MY HANDS and I move onto other finer details of the installation space. Big space to fill…down some items I was going to use to fill it, what’s a gal to do? Speaking of install…who wants to help me install this weekend? Saturday? Sunday? Anyone? Someone? Hit me with a message if you’re available cause I could really use the help! THANK YOU!

Details on the thesis show will be posted tomorrow most likely…when I actually make my promo postcard. Ha, so behind on that…oops! Maybe it’s because I WASN’T SURE I WAS GRADUATING THIS FREAKING YEAR…ugh…loooooong story that ya’ll can expect to see the light of day in some creative way in the damn f’ing near future. Oh man…the characters I’ve met these past few years…yes, I will NOT go easy on you jerk faces. Not. One. BIT! I’ll show you the same “curusies” you’ve shown me. Ah…sweetness.

I know I sound grumpy, and I kinda am, I’m burned, I’m soured, and I’m plain tired from only getting about 2 hours of sleep each night these past few days. But truthfully, I’m excited about my project and where it’s taking me and where it’s going especially when I’m free of the bondage that has been grad school and the hierarchy that exists in before mentioned institution. THANK GOD FOR FREEDOM! So yeah…it’s all good, especially once I walk across that stage and get my diploma and drink my sorrows away while dancing and laughing and chatting it up with my friends. YEP! GOOD TIMES ARE AROUND THE CORNER…I can almost taste them!

Anyway…for your viewing pleasure; feast your eyes on the oddly feminine looking Lambert and his deliciously anxty song. This is dedicated to all the people in my program who clearly were not listening to what I said I was aiming to do and going to do when I initially pitched my thesis project. To you I ask, whataya want from me followed with a timeless, SUCK IT NERDS!

Thank you.

Really, I just wanna be creating and doing my own thing, no longer listening to ANYONE and just plain experimenting, experiencing, learning, growing, messing up, making happy accidents and producing my own work without any regard to what anyone else thinks! I don’t want to worry about a show, selling my work or making money off the work, I just want to be able to breathe again, be normal again, stop being such an emotionally goofy girl and give my man a break from dealing with the sensitive silly I’ve become during this process. I’m close. Very close. And once I’ve got the thesis part of it done, and can start to breath, sleep, eat, exercise and LIVE again, I’ll start to get back to where I was a few months ago – totally happy with myself, my life and my situation and in absolute creative peace. I’ll be able to laugh again without feeling guilty for enjoying a free moment when I should be working on something. OH MAN. It will be great.

In the mean while, I’m finally starting to gain some real momentum. Hopefully this will get me through to the end of this phase of the project and I’ll continue to love and grow with it. And at least I can say that I’m starting to collaborate with some really talented and creative people that I look forward to working more with under less pressure and with more time. WOO HOO. SUMMER, you beautiful bitch, you’re so almost here!!!

Anywaaaaay, in those few moments I steal for myself or take to prep for the day at hand I find myself listening to music to help pump me up, psych me into and get ready for the photo shoots I’m doing for my thesis project.

Marathon season (and thus training) is also almost upon us and often times I find the music I use to pump myself up for a photo shoot is the same I might use for a tempo run or a race.

It got me thinking that I should share that music with you all from time to time. So here is the first of the songs I’m obsessively listening to on repeat. I have been listening to it for months and I just don’t get sick of it! It’s got a GREAT beat, great bass, great keys, synth…it’s got it all. Oh yeah, and lyrics? Totally rock.

Sweet Disposition
by Temper Trap
Please, to enjoy…

I am currently in the thick of IT. It being thesis, and it also being a bitch! Thesis is pretty much consuming my life, my mind, my thoughts, my dreams my everything. It has become all consuming as I’m sure many of you out there can totally relate to.

I am busting tail to make this thesis even better than I imagine, but it’s gonna continue to kick my butt pretty solidly until end of April when the show opens. I’ll be sure to post a few tid bits here and there about it to make sure you are up to date and in the loop. I mean to post some back dated fave fives, but not sure when I’ll get around to them.

I do want to let you in on an exciting promotion I’ll be running soon. You can purchase my thesis book, Devin Magazine, for $12 when it goes on presale! That saves you $3 a book! I’m not up and ready for the presale yet, but by mid March, I’ll be letting you know how to get in on that action.

I’m very excited about the work so far, and despite the recent onset of sleepless/restless nights, panic attacks and emotional breakdowns, I still maintain a sense of happiness over what I’m setting out to do and what I’ve accomplished thus far along the way!

More info to come on what my thesis is actually about but for now I must try to capture a moment of sleep before I try to end my work week and dive into a craaaaaazy weekend of thesis thesis thesis!!!

Cheers my dearies,
Devin

PS- I leave you with a doctored photo from tonight’s shoot. Photo shot by Kevin Valentine, edited by yours truly. Hope you enjoy!

1. Waking up to a phone call that made me smile…it wasn’t the call that made me smile, it was the voice on the other end of the line that made me smile…
2. The great people that I work with…the inside jokes that I can share, the space for silence, the space for laughter…it’s all kinda a good thing. I’m sad my girl B isn’t around as often anymore, but at least she is still a solid part of my life, and Amanda is just a total laugh riot! Super smart, but sometimes just plain silly= a winning combination!
3. Getting a really good waxing. Today (not that you really want to know this but) I got my legs, under arm and full bikini waxed. I FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS…or pretty darn close. At the very least, I don’t feel like a hairy gorilla anymore. If you need a good waxer and you live in the Chicagoland area, Lola at Mario Tricoci on Michigan Ave is the woman to see…she’s THE BEST! For serious.
4. First week of school being done. And it went well. Class was good and better still it wasn’t a big hate fest, but rather a happy “welcome back” fest. Good times.
5. Better still was celebrating the birthday of a most talented friend Heather Bella! Her actually b-day is Saturday, but after class most of us went out for drinks. And it was great. I love my class. For a good solid year I was away from everyone, and the year before that I was kinda in the bell jar, but this year I’m closer to where I was when I ENTERED the program then where I have been most of the time they’ve all known me. I’m starting to feel like part of the group again and I LOVE my group. They are the best. WE are the best. There is mutual love and respect among us all that is hard to find in normal every day life…with my peeps, we’ve so totally got it and it’s the best. I genuinely love every single member of this thesis class…and appreciate my classmates that support me even without my knowing it. What great stuff. I feel so…happy.

Bottom line people…it’s a Thursday night, it’s kinda late in the world, things are CRAZY all around us and the economy totally blows, but one thing I know for sure; despite all the bad stuff, I still remain happy. This is the best place I could be in starting the hardest semester of my life. I hope I can maintain this momentum…we shall see! Cheers and GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

Also, I just have to add something. Tonight someone told me how another person had mentioned to them about reading my blog. And I have just GOT to say, unless you are actively responding to my posts or telling me in person that you read my blog, I don’t know that you are reading it. And so at times I think I’m just recording this all on the “off chance” that someone stumbles upon it. For those of you out there, who don’t actually know me, but that do read this, this is for you; THANK YOU. Seriously. Thank you for even having an incling to care. Thank you for considering some strangers life interesting or important enough to pay attention to. Even though I don’t really know you are out there most of the time, to learn that you DO exist and that you DO give a rats ass really means something to me. I don’t just blog because I’m some self indulgent twit. I blog because I want to SHARE with people…be it to share my story, my heart ache, my optimism, my enthusiasm, my artwork or whatever…it’s to be part of something larger than myself. Knowing there are others out there that will get these messages, without my prompting them to do so, reallllllllllly touches my heart.

So again, this message is straight up for you – I appreciate that you take the time to follow me, and I thank you for it. I’m sure that your positive energy helps fuel me along along the way when times are tough. We might not have met yet, but I still think the world of you!!! Hopefully, our paths will cross in real time some day.

Cheers, Happiness and Love,
Devin

1. Emailing back and fourth with a friend who tends to be a bit…funny on email.
2. Getting rated on Swap-Bot with 5′s and hearts!
3. Having people ask you for commission work! WOO HOO!!! Someone wants to PAY me for my work…AGAIN! It’s been happening so much MUCH this past year, and it’s the loveliest feeling I can describe in my art making experience. I don’t even know when I’ll be able to fit in all the commissioned pieces with thesis, but it’s just nice to know you work is not only liked but WANTED…
4. ePortfolio’s class totally rocking my socks. Will Devin have a new flashy awesome site in a few months time? Stay tuned to find out…
5. My man. I gotta say it. He’s really just the sweetest. I promised myself I’d always remain “relationship neutral” on my site, but I can’t help it…this man makes me smile from ear to ear and it’s because HE IS A GOOD PERSON. This good person also happens to be extremely attractive (go me), funny, charming, 100% comfortable with himself and willing to compromise when it’s right to and stand his ground when he should. He’s kinda awesome, and so I just can’t stay mum about him 100% of the time…

1. Waking up to my apartment and its good heat. It’s freaking COLD outside in Chicago this week!!!
2. My really awesome Pilot Varsity pen. I’ve got it in black and in blue ink and it’s awesome. I think with all my swap-bot swapping, I can warrant purchasing the whole set of 7 colors!!! It’s like a calligraphy pen, only no dipping and even flow. Also, you can take it with you easily in your purse without fear of it spilling or leaking. Pretty darn cool. It’s the little things people…the little things.
   
3. Having a REALLY great run this evening, despite the freezing cold temps that with windchill felt like 6 degrees. Uhhh, yeah. Cold. Mike kept joking that we were crazy to do it so we shouldn’t, but of course we did and the run went really well. Officially his 7th run, and my 7th of the new year and all around good. I FINALLY kept us at a very solid (slower) pace and we still did the three mile run in 28:32:02 (a few second less actually) which puts us at 9:30 minute mile pace – INCLUDING our 6:1 walk break ratio. Yeah baby! That’s good stuff. After we ran our three I felt like I needed a bit more, so my handsome partner let me run off to do another quick mile before calling it a night. I ran an 8:30 minute mile and can honestly say it felt really good. I wasn’t pushing hard at all and think if I had pushed a little, I could have done an 8 minute mile for sure. I’m so excited about this because I recalculated what I need to run in order to Boston qualify and the time is scary. I thought an 8:30 m/m would get me a 3:30 marathon time. WRONG…in order to achieve a 3:30:00 marathon time, I need to be able to run 8 minute miles flat for 26.2 miles. Eeeeeek. That’s the time at least Mike needs to qualify. For me to qualify is a little better – I need to be able to do 8:23 minute miles. Woo hooooo. Not. Boy, that’s fast. But, I’m hopeful. Tonight’s training run was good for the both of us and I think it’s early enough in the season for us to excel before we even hit May (when the official marathon training begins). In any case, we had a great run and it made me feel good and those happy endorphins swam happily in my blood stream elevating my day from pretty crappy to happy!
4. DEVON MARKET! After our run we hit up Devon Market for some fresh produce and goodies for food this week. Since classes begin tomorrow, I need to have breakfast (my bananas), lunch and dinner all ready to take with me each morning before I leave. So tonight I made Thome Style Chili. YUUUUUUMMMY! It’s simple, delicious, pretty low in calories, filling AND very affordable to make! While at the market I picked up all kinds of fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, black berries, oranges and pomegranates! Everything there is soooo affordable that it makes buying good for you foods a little less of a burden on the pocket book.
5. Banana bread with chocolate chips. I think I may have finally re-figured out the perfect recipe. Secret ingredients include: yogurt, chocolate chips and Kerrygold Irish butter. I’m about to pull it out of the oven now and it smells good. I hope it tastes even better!
   
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