Harmonica Man

Harmonica man…ummm…play me a tune…just play me

Daily Stank Image Bank: “A Wings”– Photography by Kristin Wall

Daily Stank Image Bank: “A Wings”– Photography by Kristin Wall is being featured on PDXPipeline!

A series of photographs, entitled “Camp 18″, are available in a custom 12 month 2008 calendar. Be sure to check out these killa’ Camp 18 photos & other cool PDXPipeline schwag.

“A Wings” – Camp 18 series, photography by Kristin Wall

An Official Graduate!

After three long years, I can finally say that I’m an official graduate! My time spent at AiPD taught me the meaning of long-term endurance. I like to think of it as a triathlon for the mind.

I can proudly say I accepted my dipolma in style – that is NO shoes, barefoot baby! I had been picturing this day for months & it was every bit surreal as I’d imagined. I was on such a high (probably induced from the infamous polyester graduation robe). I have officially left the nest!

None of this would’ve been possible without the support of my husband, family & friends. I owe much of my gratitude to my partner in crime. His ability to endure the long evenings I spent glued to my computer, listening to endless babble about ideas for new projects & supporting every project I took on (and there were many!) allowed me to grow in ways I never thought possible. Thank you.

Here’s a small sample of my final portfolio. Enjoy!

Kristin Wall sample portfolio (PDF)

September 14th 2007: The Art Institute of Portland Graduate Portfolio Show

The Art Institute of Portland Graduate Portfolio Show is less than two weeks away – Friday September 14th 2007!

I’ve been attending the graduate portfolio show for the past 2+ years, eagerly anticipating the work of my fellow students, learning from their successes & failures. Now it’s my turn.

I enrolled in the Advertising program at AiPD in the fall of 2004 and for the past 3+ years it’s been a constant struggle to find a balance between school (in & out of the classroom), work and being a wife & a mom. There have been many sleepless nights to say the least and many sacrifices made along the way, but I knew the payoff would be priceless.

During my time at AiPD, I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish some pretty amazing things. Two notable items worth mentioning:

1. Recipient of the Gold Student ADDY award in March 2007 for a cervical cancer awareness public service announcement
2. Founder, VP of brashcreative (a student organized advertising agency that works with Portland businesses to develop integrated creative solutions)

Words can’t describe how good it feels to finally finish my BS and at the same time help create a legacy that other students will benefit from in the years to come.

In the last few days before graduation, I’m trying to stay sane and must remind myself that it’s ok to sleep. The infamous portfolio will live on…

Love thy Rodent

Rats. They’re surprisingly self-aware. They laugh when tickled, especially when they’re young, and they have ticklish spots. Admit it, they’re pretty damn cute. A few years ago, I had a pet rat. Her name was Sqishy (pronounced ski-shee). She was the sweetest pet ever – loved to give kisses.

Rats have personalities, and they can be grumpy or happy-go-lucky depending on their upbringing and surroundings. One study showed that rats accustomed to good times tend to be optimists, while those reared in unstable conditions become pessimists. In another study, Jonathon D. Crystal, a psychologist at the University of Georgia in Athens, discovered that rats display evidence of metacognition: they know what they know and what they don’t know.

Life as a four year old

Life as a four year old is so much fun…Dress up, adventures with water & downtime with furry friends. It doesn’t get much better than that!

New Inspiration

The BIG 30 is rapidly approaching – July 29th to be exact. For the most part, I’m super excited. I’ve accomplished so much in a short amount of time. In the past couple of years, I’ve really grown into my own skin and damn it, it feels good.

I got an interesting envelope in the mail today from a sender I didn’t recognize. A birthday gift from my sister, sent to me by an artist by the name of Kristin Brenneman. It’ an original painting, oil on canvas, titled “Swooping glints, across noon and after“. WOW! This has to be the best birthday gift I’ve ever received. Kristin does some amazing work; ranging painting to sculpture to jewelry and also teaches workshops.

Miss Maggie…a little gift from heaven

I decided it was time to become a two kitty family again, so Mason & I went to the Oregon Humane Society yesterday to adopt a kitty. My intention was to find a kitten, but no such luck. It was 2pm & 10 kittens had been adopted out since 10am. No kittens left. There was an overwhelming number of older kitties, so I decided to look around to see if anyone “spoke” to me. Sure enough, tucked way back in a corner , I saw this little kitty and thought, well, maybe…Her bio said she was 2 years old & she’d been exposed to other kitties & small children. Maybe this little kitty would be able to handle our other cat Frisco as well as Mason. This could be the perfect fit! Mason & I took her out & played with her for a while in the kitty playroom. She was so gentle & sweet and had to be the most affectionate, mellow kitty I’d ever encountered. My heart sang – I was in love. We brought her home that afternoon & she’s made herself quite comfortable. It’s like she’s always been here. She’s a beautiful kitty with lots of love to give. Miss Maggie.

 

Um, yeah…I like books

On our last day in Miami Beach, we visited the Wolfsonian Museum (also known as Florida International University). They had an amazing collection of design books, ranging from architecture, to graphic design & film. We picked up The Design of Dissent by Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic. Powerful stuff. We could’ve spent the entire day inside their cafe drinking espresso & reading books. Ah, we’re such goobers for good design…

 

 

 

Lounging Lizards

We all need a little R&R in the sun. Get back to the core & revel in those lazy afternoons. Work hard and player harder!

 

We can all use a little foot lovin’. Did you know the toes are directly connected to the brain? And the arch of the foot is a direct path to the heart?

 

 

Around 4:30 in the afternoon, I looked up & saw this amazing cloud formation. The sun gods were looking down on us.