yes, there's a rash of them at this time of year. but if you read this blog, you'll expect one, so kind of deal with it :)




2008 was a hell of a year. so dramatic, really. and if you were watching my life broadcast across finland, i'd like to think it'd be a crazy soap opera that you'd watch and hate yourself for doing so. sometimes even i just wanted to turn it all off with a 'for god's sake!'

the year started off with the most amazing summer holidays, confident in a new and exciting job, as well as new and exciting study [not to mention new cool house]. and as soon as both of them really started to kick off, the madness of 2008 really began. just bear with my while i quickly run though it... you'll see.

march
3-week full-time study intensive, with me working before uni, after uni, on weekends and trying to squeeze in hours wherever i could.

25-year anniversary of my little brother's death. kind of a big deal.

a great trip to adelaide over easter, only to get sick and just want to read and watch 'me, you and everyone we know' in the dark.

april
full-on preparations for the upcoming exhibition abracadaver, at allan's walk in may



may
said exhibition, with linda mcrae, but for the work involved, might as well have been a solo show.

spend every weekend in bendigo. nice place, long trip :)

work ickiness. job becomes a little harder to bear.

to sydney for interesting south ii set design

de-install show. say goodbye to bendigo for a while.

june
high-level work ickiness

job search #1

end of semester essay/presentations at uni. count 'em: 1, 2, 3




july
leave job crazines #1.

temp contract peace and aaah.

into job craziness #2.

back to uni full-time. much catching up to do.

sydney for the biennale.

job search #2

move into my first real studio. eep!

august
back at uni, 2 major projects: laneways and knox.

leave job craziness #2 into job #3 - peace and then aagh.. steep learning curve #1. good, but learning curve.

submit to laneways commissions

apply for funding left, right and centre

relocate - new room

work on architecture paste-ups/paper architecture

send work for not now, i'm talking in wollongong





sept
back to work part-time

bit of a uni break

create work for making sense exhibition to open end october

do first candystripers work at trocadero.

shortlisted for the laneways

october
work on feasibility study.. steep learning curve #2

back at uni - presentations galore. count 'em: 1, 2, 3, 4

making sense exhibition opens at craft vic

patti smith. patti smith. patti smith.

create work for 15 x 15 to open in november

go to christchurch for the weekend to see scape

give final uni presentation, catatonic.




november
15 x 15 opens

continue work on laneways feasibility study

show english tourist around

de install 15 x 15

de install making sense

job #3 finishes.

fight with multi-national corporation over art.


december

laneways study submitted

centrelink merri-go-round and job search dance #3

new flatmate

meetings with city

selected for laneways (pending an injection of external funding)

create work for final show in studio exhibition space.

collapse in a heap.


*inhale*




so, if you thought last year was crazy - this one was manic. i did have some time to have a pretty cool social life most of the time - much dancing, many new friends and reacquainted old ones. fell in love with this city, missed my northern friends like madness (and subsequently booked myself an impulse ticket to london in january. did i mention something about manic?), fell in love with my bike, got married on facebook and managed to keep this ol' blog thang going for another year.

and as much as it was amazing at break-neck speed and i had some really valuable and inspiring experiences, i'm looking forward to saying 'cheerio!' to this year. next year is going to be intense in a different way. it's going to be more focused and this little wannabe is going to be a whole lot more cucumber-esque. perhaps even zen-like (*ahem*)..

thanks to everyone who took the time to read this blog this year.. and, hopefully without sounding twee, without you guys, this blog wouldn't keep going - which is not an invitation to disappear! i loved your comments, your visits, your subscriptions, the emails you sent me, the friends i made throught this blog and places i discovered thanks to your links. thanks for putting up with the miles of self-obsession and insane geekery.

i'm having a few weeks off and taking some time to defrag. but i will be back in the first week of 2009 for the next round - hopefully i'll see you then too. merry christmas and happy new year to you and your families.

kisses!

Labels: 2008, blogs