This blog is old. New stuff at cautiousclay.tumblr.com

Need to start updating again

I'm finally feeling like it's possible for me to have this job, be this father and husband, and make my art.  At least I FEEL like that. I did finish a new piece using the same materials I have my students use a lot:  pastels, crayola markers, charcoal, and watercolor on paper.  It actually works pretty well, and it's great to work on paper, since I have zero space at home for storing or even working on canvas.

The new abstract is "Morb Cack" over at laniru.deviantart.com

Star Wars Roleplaying Soundboard

I'm getting back into the old West End Games "Star Wars the Roleplaying Game". I started looking online to see if there was anything like a Soundboard designed for adding sounds when you're roleplaying. Didn't find anything, so I decided to make one! http://starwarsrpgsoundboard.googlepages.com/home

Isn't spring break great?

spring break!

Well, I've made it all the way to spring break in my first year of teaching. When I go back next week, I'll only have 10 more weeks of teaching until the summer. I have learned and changed so much this year that I can't begin to convey it in a blog. I do hope that since I am coming to the end of this first year of teaching, I can devote more time to updating all these blogs and online presences. I wish I had used this blog a lot more this year. It's just a bit difficult when you are spending every free moment writing lessons and preparing.

twin peaks new dvd coming out

so little time

Well, I'm just 7 or so weeks away from being done with the first half of my first year of teaching. I'm sure that could have been said with less than half that many words. But anyway... I've got a little more time than usual tonight, since baby Daniel is sleeping early for some reason, so I'm going through my websites and old videos and everything. The main thing I'm realizing is that my life has changed so dramatically. When I look at my websites and all the things I used to put time into, it feels so still and silent... like my life used to be this really quiet period of waiting. I didn't realize I was waiting... but it really was like my life was just sitting there, waiting for this era that I'm in now. I'm so busy now that I can't take time to make art... or even think about art, really. I know it will be different once the first year is done, but it is SO difficult sometimes. The schedule I'm on is just crazy, and I am just not a very organized person. So many people are relying on me, and I feel like people are constantly judging my performance.... and the truth is that they are. Being a teacher is a very public role, and your performance is under constant scrutiny by principals, other teachers, people at central office, mothers, and even the kids. I've never experienced anything like this at all. My hope is simply that time will make it easier. I can't wait until I can come home and ACTUALLY relax... not just sit and worry until it's time to go in again.

Bona Fide Art Teacher

Where does that "Bona Fide" term come from anyway? I'll have to google that sometime. Anyway, just an update to say that I'm officially an elementary school art teacher now. It's amazing how it all happened, but it's a long story. It's enough to say that things have worked out in an incredible way for me, and I'm having trouble keeping up with all the change. It seems like forever that I've been in a limbo between being a student and being an adult. Now, very suddenly, over the course of just a few months, I have my career and I'm a father. I think I'm taking to the role nicely... but sometimes I do miss the time to do my creative loafing, surfing, blogging, etc.

More later.