What's All This Then?

Well this is what am doing to make my month more challenging. Challenge me in the comment section either here or on YouTube in the last week of the month, you'll be able to vote from a short list of challenges to decide what I'll be doing next month!

JUNE 2011 : Photos

AUGUST: Re-run

JULY: ??

JUNE: Listen to Nina Simone

MAY: Learn about the emotion fear

APRIL: Find an object and take a photo of it every day in different locations

MARCH: Create a stop motion animation

FEBRUARY: Keri Smith's 'This Is Not A Book' book

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The March Challenge Completed

Okay, so here it is. You are about to see a month's work from me. And let me start by saying it didn't come out the way I planned. Yeah, it's not great, sorry. It's been a long build up and the plans were awesome but the execution, not so awesome. It seems to be a theme for me. Anyway, I still have a little goal for the video to get 1000 views which seems crazy but I have had other videos (not on this channel don't check and think I'm lying) get that many unexpectedly. So, once you've watched it...watch it again! Then make someone else watch it. Sorry it's not better. I am out of the blogworld until after Easter so I am hoping to have a few views by the time I get back and hopefully not a whole bunch of "unsubscribe" and "no longer following." Or am I being over dramatic now? Nope, just stalling.

Well wait no longer here it is:

What did you think?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

And the April Challenge Is...









Find an object and take a photo each day of it in a different location!! Thanks Luís Campião for challenging me, sir I accept! So I am to find an object and take a photo of this object in a different location each day as well as provide maps of these locations by tracing over street maps onto transparent paper. That last part will be a little tricky, but that is the point of a challenge am I right? So tomorrow I leave for a holiday which means that the first day of my April challenge and therefore the day that I must find the object of which I am to photograph for a month is going to be found in festival campsite in Byron Bay. Gosh, I am such a hippie. Anyway, I will not be checking into the blog until after Easter so have happy one if you are celebrating it otherwise have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The April Vote

It's that time again! Time to vote! Here are you're options:

#1 Go vegetarian for a month

#2 Find an object and take a photo of it in different locations

#3 Plant something everyday

#4 Master a new hobby

#5 Start a collection

Thanks to Camilla (#1), Luís Campião (#2), Liz (#3), Cori (#4) and thylaylii (#5) for challenging me and thanks to the others that set a challenge too!

More voting will take place for #4 and #5 and more detail will go into #2 but right now all you have to do is vote!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

And We’re Almost There!



Preproduction: tick, production: tick, post production: just starting. Every photo I need has been taken! In my usual fashion I have managed to take things a little too seriously, I have spent the best part of a week sourcing props, sewing costumes and pulling apart dolls. I've wound wool around wire to ensure realistic hair movement. I've drawn leaves in different positions so they move in the breeze. I spent the entire night taking photos to ensure a stable lighting environment. Yep, I've lost my mind to the stop motion animation world. And I love it. Nothing better than being taken over by a new obsession that started as a hobby. Being completely committed and inspired to create is awesome, I just wish someone would pay me to do it! Plus the accountability (that's you) is also very helpful.


Well, although I am around halfway through, I am not all the way through so I will go back to composition and editing. Stay tuned, you will get to view the whole thing before the end of March.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Interactive Tuesday

Challenge me!! Go on, you know you want to, make it about anything, seriously anything, get it off your chest and into the comment section below. New updates about the stop motion animation coming up soon!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Aaaahhhh!

Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. It's not that bad, it's just not where I wanted it to be (story of my life!) I had made a little schedule for getting my stop motion animation from my head to your screen by the end of the month that was basically as follows:

  • By the 10th – all pre-production to be completed, plans, props etc.
  • By the 20th – all production to be completed, all photos and footage to be taken.
  • By the 31st – all the post production to be completed and video posted, including music and a little making of video

But today is the 11th and I am not close to finishing the pre-production because I can't find the props I need! I am trying today to find the little dolls for the last time and if I don't find them, well...back to square one.

I recently lamented to someone that everything that I try, fails. Every time that I give something a go, even if it kind of works out it's still not what I wanted. I figured the problem was me. This someone told me that when we are used to looking for a pattern, we see it easily. Like when you buy a new car and you suddenly notice that that model of car is everywhere. However, if you are not used to looking for something, such as small amounts of success, it is harder to find. Sucks to be pessimistic. So although this problem may not seem as bad as all that, or that it is a problem to revaluate yourself over, the situation is this: When you have one problem, you get over it and move on right? But when it's the 20th in a row that has gone wrong, well then it makes you stop and think, no matter how small it is. But the only person who thinks that it is the 20th in a row is you. Someone else may look and find 20 wins in between all your losses but you are programmed to not see the wins. A little too self-help guru for this early in the morning I know, but it helped me a little and figured it may just help someone else too!

So I will go out today in search of my missing props and even if I don't find them, I will find something else to use. You are all so polite and supportive, I'm sure you'll still like it! Hope you are having a lovely March; it's starting to get cold here in Sydney which is a nice change after a very hot summer. I will update you on my progress soon!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

February Wrap Up

February is long gone so I am here to wrap up the month that was. After finding an interesting book in the gift section of a bookstore I decided to buy it. This book was called This Is Not A Book created by Keri Smith and inside it was full of odd things to do such as “Hold the book over your head for as long as possible and write your time here...” Now, blogging and vlogging was something I had thought about up until this time with no ideas about how and where to start. In this book that is not a book, I saw both. So with a challenge set by myself to myself of completing every page’s activity by the end of the month which equated to about 7 pages a day I embarked on my blogging and vlogging premier. Seeing as I am going on 6 months unemployed, free time is something I have plenty of. Now I will be honest and admit that even with all my free time, the end of February I got a little burnt out from other things and didn’t really finish EVERY page until the 3rd of March. I know, I lied a little and I’m sorry!

Thankfully, my idea of using up a bit of time has succeeded, I am busy both finalising challenges as well as delving into the world of blogs. It has been nice after having no routine for so long, to now be accountable and active every day. Love having something to do! What I also love is when someone reaches out to me through the blog or vlog world. I like seeing a new subscriber or follower added, so I can see their blog or channel page. I love that something that I have filmed or written has entertained someone enough that they want to come back to the page to see more. And the suggestions! When someone takes the time to comment a webpage that I may like it really makes my day. Actually, every comment makes my day, you are all very sweet to be so supportive and I hope that you continue while I continue doing silly things.

Okay, enough of that, (sorry but had to say thanks because you have all been awesome) this is the wrap up of February and also the end of This Is Not A Book as I have finished every page and also put together a video for a bit of February closure. Just a few housekeeping items, I am well into the planning stages of March’s challenge (thanks for voting!) which will be epic so I will keep you up to date but in secret as I don’t want the story to be revealed until you can view the whole thing as a whole. Sorry, no peaking! And also keep those challenges coming in, before you know it it’ll be April and I’ll need something to do again so just throw them in the comment section and I make a note of them for voting comes around.

Hope you are all doing well, please don’t hesitate to comment anything you reckon I should know, and please keeping watching and reading during March!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

INTERACTIVE TUESDAY – A Little Guidance Please!

So the challenge for March is to film a stop motion animation. I've spent well, let's just say, too much time on YouTube looking through everyone else's efforts and I am a little overwhelmed! Your task today is to let me know what makes a good Stop Motion Animation film. I have compiled a few of my favourites and I have worked out that I like two things when it comes to stop motion clip. One is cute music and the other is when people are lying down but carrying out things they normally do standing up. So check out these clips: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AA3B7B5D41C7E7E3 and let me know what you want me take on board for mine. Thanks!

Monday, March 1, 2010

The March Challenge is...

Film a stop motion animation!!

The vote ended as follows:

  1. Stop motion animation 52%
  2. Meet a stranger a day 25%
  3. Read War and Peace 11%
  4. Create a travel show 8%
  5. Go busking 2%

Thanks for voting, stay tuned for the beginnings of my stop motion animation!