13.9.14

Trying to Doll Again

Hello dear and lovely readers,

as a few people may have noticed, I've been away for most of the Spring and all of the Summer.  The reason for the unannounced hiatus is neither uplifting, nor particularly interesting, but I thought that a reasonable first step in moving forward might be to talk about it.

First of all, for the last two years, I've been struggling with the effects of a chronic illness and depression.  These conditions have been trying, but BJDs were always a light in the dark for me.  Even though I did not have the energy to do as much with them as I used to, I always had plans, hopes, and found continual inspiration in the local and online community. 

All of this came to halt in May.  I was working on an outfit for Elena, when her hand caught in the sleeve and snapped at the wrist joint.  Since she's in the process of being modded, I have materials that will probably fix the break.  But after this accident, I fell into a very bad slump.  For months, I avoided DoA, avoided my other BJDs, and paused all my BJD projects. 

Sometimes, I took Elena out of her box to look at her broken hand and half finished mods. Before I could start work again, I would always succumb to fear and sloth.  Even the thought of taking out my other dolls made me feel irrationally overwhelmed.  With a hobby like BJDs, one can Always say, with perfect justification, that there are more important things to spend one's limited amounts of energy on. 

True as this may be, I intend to start blogging and creating again.  My projects might need to be scaled down, or broken into smaller, less daunting pieces.  I might even share some Ever After High and lolita things too, if it helps shake off my creative stupor.  My general goal is to produce creatively, and my specific goal is to resume enjoying BJDs.

Please wish me luck :0)

24.4.14

BJD meet up pictures from Union Square, San Francisco

 Part I: Stavros

Stavros is a Limhwa Limho tan Mano and he belongs to the excellent JennyNemesis.  I owe huge amounts of thanks to her for not only hosting, but also helping me to organize this mini meet up in a city that is far from familiar to me. 

When editing my pictures of Stavros, I intentionally went for a faux-lomo look.  I associate that aesthetic with a youthful and casual spirit that seemed appropriate enough for a BJD like Stavros. 

















Part II: The Boys in Black

Caulder "BlackPool" Swann (of the hood and bat broach) is a Volks F38/Ariadoll 18yrs and belongs to the wonderful Idrisfynn, whose tumblr can be found here.

Bishop (of the feathered hat) is a SWITCH Mara and he belongs to the awesome St. James, whose tumblr can be found here.

I thank both of them for coming to meet me and bringing their beautiful dolls.

To go with the moody, black outfits, I tended to soften and desaturate these pictures, though I'm afraid you will see I did not do this with much consistency. >.<












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Notes: Thank you again to JennyNemesis, Idrisfynn, St. James, and Farallon!   :0)

1.2.14

I am stretched on your grave and will lie there forever



If your hands were in mine
I'd be sure they could not sever

My apple tree, my brightness
It's time we were together 


For I smell of the earth
And am worn by the weather


When my family thinks
That I'm safely in my bed

From morn until night
I am stretched out at your head 


Calling out to the earth
With tears hot and wild

My grief for the girl
That I loved as a child


Do you remember the night we were lost
In the shade of the blackthorn
And the chill of frost 


And thanks be to Jesus
We did all that was right 


And your maiden head still
Is your pillar of light


The priests and the friars
They approach me in dread
Because I still love you
My love and you're dead



I still would be your shelter
Through rain and through storm 


And with you in your cold grave
I cannot sleep warm


So I am stretched on your grave
And will lie there forever 


If your hands were in mine
I'd be sure they could not sever 


My apple tree, my brightness
It's time we were together 


For I smell of the earth
And am worn by the weather



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 Notes: I first discovered "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" through the Abney Park song a number of years ago.  More recently, I have also discovered SinĂ©ad O'Connor's older, but no less gorgeous rendition.  Upon having my socks knocked off, I learned that the lyrics are taken from a 17th century Irish poem.  Since then, I have wanted to do a BJD photostory as tribute.

What finally made me start the photostory was an enormous amount aggravation around my attempts to make another Edgar Allan Poe tribute.  As I mentioned in my last post, this Poe project is a collaboration, so there is some extra pressure.  I had started shooting and found that practically everything was garbage. 

Then, we had some rare snow in Vancouver, and to blow off some steam and do a less complicated project, I decided to try an interpretation of "I Am Stretched On Your Grave."  Since this is a poem, I wanted to keep things a little more abstract.  In "Ligeia," I tried to honour Poe's ambiguity.  Here, I wanted to push the ambiguity of what is real and imagined a little further. 

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