This is a painting I made for my newest nephew Milo aka Blueberry. As I was finishing, I was reminded more of galaxies and planets than fruit. For more of my creations, check out my Instagram @mynameisreb.
Last week made me realize we are quickly approaching the busiest time of year. For me, these next four months are the race to the finish line to the New Year. I try to cram in finishing my goals and accomplishments for year, the holidays are fast approaching, and if you work in marketing or retail, you know that the holiday season also is the busiest time of year work wise.
My last few goals I’m trying to reach before the end of this year include running my first half marathon. I tried to do it this past spring, but an injury forced me to take a break from all exercise for weeks. I’m very proud that during Week Five of my training, I’ve already decreased my average pace by a minute. I’m not too proud to say that whoever decided fall was marathon season was a cruel, cruel person. Training before any race takes months and trying to run and breathe through humid New York summer air is like trying to snorkel in a swamp.
Another goal of mine for this year was to sign up for a painting class. This morning I just registered to take a Continuing Education course at the School of Visual Arts called “Contemporary Painting Lab: Artists and Techniques of the 21st Century.” It’s an interesting course because it teaches an overview of contemporary art while teaching painting techniques used by modern artists. I’ve been wanting to take a class at SVA for years but time, money, and work was an issue. However, now I know I’m ready to make at least a weekly commitment to practice and evolve my painting skills.
The holidays have gotta even more complicated since Eric and I started dating. We need to coordinate sharing holidays and the traveling that goes with it. This year my family is making their pilgrimage to South Dakota, which requires myself and Eric to take trains, planes, and automobiles to get there from Brooklyn. We do have our fall vacation scheduled for late October in upstate New York in an awesome little cabin. We plan on hiking, exploring the Hudson River Valley, and experiencing the most terrifying (allegedly) hayride in the United States in Sleepy Hallow.
At Master & Dynamic, we have a number of launches happening over the next few months. I luckily haven’t had to put in too many extra hours, but it is requiring more planning and coordinating within a small team. In all my career so far, it still surprises me that while you might try to plan ahead and have the good intentions of following through, the make or break of every major launch always happens in the final hour.
Other things that happened this week:
Usborne Books
My sister Deborah had a “Book Party” on Facebook with Usborne Books, which is a home-based business that publishes and sells excellent books for child development, both in basic skills and developing a love for reading. I personally love the books for small babies that are in black and white or explore sound in interesting ways. Not only did I finish some of my holiday shopping in August, but because Deborah hosted and her attendees purchased books, she was able to get a huge discount in purchasing books for her classroom. It’s a shame that most teachers need to use their own money to purchase supplies for their classrooms, but hopefully there will be more entities like Usborne Books that will help support them.
My Name Is Reb 