the fruits of my labor

some of you have noticed that i've been absent from this blog. many of you wonder what i've been up too. others of you have noticed that i haven't returned calls. still others of you are so fed up with my neglect that i imagine it will take a lot of wooing to regain you as friends. not to mention that one of you who goes by the moniker of boyfriend, whose patience has been unending, though i know, difficulty obtained. thank you.

but here it is: the fruits of my labor and the culmination of my life of the past two packed full months. i've been interning at a not-for-profit art space in chelsea, my primary goal in the past two months, to raise thousands of dollars for the operating budget by soliciting one hundred artists to create an original art mask to be silently auctioned at The Dream of the Red Chamber Masquerade Ball on this Saturday, February, 23. notice how i switched suddenly into business mode white writing that, capitals and all....

anyhoo, our online auction is up and running, glitches mostly ironed out. feel like taking a look? click here.

so in addition to averaging 70-80 hours a week at the art space, i've also kept a pared down schedule with the artist i'm assisting, about 15-20 hours a week. plus writing papers for school, being a teacher's assistant as well as bookkeeping for a bag designer. oh, and did i mention the tattoo shop that i'm now managing?

two parts of my life have synthesized in the above mask, which my artist boss created, with a little (!) help from little ol' me. and i took the photo for the auction.

anyway, it's been exhilarating meeting and working so many talented artists, watching hard work pay off, glimpsing the art world, utilizing and building upon my prior knowledge in art and event planning and being appreciated for my efforts. I also got a chance to invite my dear life-long friend, jenilee, the super talented painter. Of course, she couldn't get in just by my invite--her work stands tall and impressed the powers that be. see her piece to the right:

i was also extremely touched when i contacted some friends from catering, mentioned i could use a little help at this pair of events, and voila, without hesitation, you were there. i really am fortunate to have such friends. thank you kathleen, ola, dan, scott, courtney, and whoever else comes on saturday.


The big ball is this Saturday. If you have $500 to blow, you're totally invited!

look close and you'll see my name on the benefit committee, naturally, misspelled.