Archives for category: Fun

halloween

Hermit’s Web was the first public appearance of the Dedes, and someone recommended I should write a blog to keep track of their progess. After the book was published the story continued here. The blog really helped me to find out, what I am doing. To be honest, the puppets don’t have much bite. They are funny in a very subtle way. Sometimes I might be the only one who gets their jokes :). For me it is all about understanding where people come from and how they tick. I don’t care if others deem the puppets silly. I love them. They are a brilliant tool to keep me sane.

This picture was taken on Halloween two years back. I am not a big fan of Halloween, but obviously the Dedes are. (Note: you certainly guessed it, they are all wearing masks with my face on it. Pretty scary!)

devil hammock

I have started to prepare for my book launch, which will be a pop-up kitchen. I think this is very appropriate for The Artist’s Survival Cookbook. I have been running around to find a suitable venue that I can hire without breaking the bank. (I am back on a serious flour and water diet and unfortunately I can’t pay my dues in buns and doughnuts). There are gazillions of self-published books out there and everybody who has ever published a book can confirm, the most difficult part is the marketing. Particularly when you are a hermit, as a lot of artists are. But in the meantime I have sold some copies via CreateSpace. It is so exciting, when you log in and you see for the first time that the 0 has turned into real a number!

Though I still have to finish my Pecha Kucha presentation that describes why I am playing with puppets. Here we are at slide number 9:

When I first started I with puppets, I was particularly ingtruiged by their completeness. They are viusal, sculptures, actors, storytellers all rolled up in one.  Puppetry has been an anarchic and subversive art throughout history and Peter Schumann, the founder of Bread and Puppetry said: It is an art which is easier researched in police records than in theatre chronicles.

Last Sunday I grabbed two of my puppets and together we made the best bun recipe from page 32. Just to prove that it is that simple. I hope you like it, it would be great if you could share. It is such a great Christmas present. Buy a bag of flour, a wooden spoon and the Artist’s Survival Cookbook and you can make someone a really happy kitchen god(ess).

5 pillars-3

Okay, back to my Pecha Kucha presentation. Sorry that it is a bit fragmented. The publication of the Artist’s Survival Cookbook was late breaking news. I am now up to slide 7. You might recall, my presententation is about “why I play with puppets”. I began creating the Dedes in 2012. They started out as No Bodies and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I do it. They just imposed themselves on me. In the meantime I have figured out that they are a wonderful tool to enhance emotional intelligence. This is the subject of my Pecha Kucha presentation. Pecha Kucha presentations have the format of 20 slides and the presenter can talk for 20 seconds to each slide. There is not much one can say :).  Now I am up to the 4th pillar of Emotional Intelligence: People skills.

People skills: Those who are emotionally intelligent avoid power struggles and backstabbing. They usually enjoy other people, and can honestly give credit where credit is due. They easily earn respect from others. Keep in mind, respect has to be earned, it cannot be demanded. In fact all these characteristics (self-awareness, self-motivation, empathy and people skills) go hand in hand and follow each other.

thank you_ copy

I am getting very close now making my famous Artist’s Survival Cookbook available on CreateSpace. After puppeteer-friend Tony had a good read and made correction, the lovely Heather went over the whole thing again with a fine comb. I have entered the latest changes and uploaded the complete file again. That is it now! In the meantime I have created a preview on CreateSpace. Everyone can look at and review the book here: https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1177728

There is an independend book festival on first weekend in October. My garden guru friend Dee has organised a stall and offered to share it with me.  I also have seen the first proof copies from CreateSpace and I am happy with the print result. You guys can not believe how excited I am right now!

 

 

 

devil feet

So what does Emotional Intelligence mean? To say it in the words of a layperson: it is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes without being walked over.

And this is where the puppets have been invaluable for me. Here Devil takes measure of my feet to see if the shoe fits. To come up with all the puppet stories, one has to be an excellent observer and understand human interaction.

Before I go on I will quickly run through the 5 pillars of Emotional Intelligence. These are the traits employers are looking for:

  • Self-awareness
  • Motivation
  • Empathy
  • People skills
  • Self-regulation

I will explain those in the next slides.

images.indd

The other day I did a presentation about my work. It was basically a Pecha Kucha presentation, although we couldn’t call it that, as the term is trademarked. In case you don’t know how this type of presentation works, it consists of 20 slides and the presenter has exactly 20 seconds to speak to each slide. That is a bit of a challenge. 20 seconds is not very long. Anyway, it was a good exercise to revisit what I do with my Dedes and I will put up the presentation over the next month. The format is pretty much the format of my blog anyway. However, I might add more text than 20 seconds worth.

The title of the presentation was: Why I play with puppets.

I arrived at puppetry from the visual arts angle, not performance, and I immediately appreciated the use of my Dedes for self-exploration. For me, they are magical problem-solvers and I often call them my “voodoo dolls gone mellow.” Since Devil started his new job in an environment with a bullying culture, I have also became aware that these puppets are brilliant for developing emotional intelligence. This is a term I only discovered recently, but all of a sudden everything makes perfect sense.

group image small

Finally, the Artist’s survival book went to the proofreader this week. I will upload the file to CreateSpace and order a copy to see what the print quality is like. Then when it comes back from proofing, I can make the changes and thunderbirds are go! I am so excited about it all. You certainly wonder what took so long. The book was basically finished two or three month ago. Well, life has been a bit of a struggle last year, hence the book. However, having no money wasn’t the main problem. Of course the Dedes live the life of their Artist. Recently they had a full Dede meeting to discuss what project should be next. Pig wanted to embark on a potato cookbook. Mouse wants to make a book on how to set up a garden in a small space and someone else suggested a book on the nutritious value of nuts, called The Artist is going nuts. Everyone was laughing, but Devil. Philosopher who is a good observer said, maybe the home economic books should be put aside for a while and the Dedes should make a book about workplace bullying. Now the room fell silent and no-one quite understood where this was coming from. It was very awkward. Devil’s eyes became watery and he said: “We have to do it, for the sake of everyone out there, who has to deal with it, but I don’t know if I am ready just yet.” Who would have thought that the Devil get’s bullied?

ebrace series.indd

It is common knowledge that Harvey, the rabbit, is not the smartest cookie in the jar and is a womaniser to boot. No need to ask him twice to tango with Foxy Lady. He is well aware he punched above his weight there. Foxy Lady is one of my favourite Dedes. She is a gorgeous thing and I always thought we have a lot in common (not the looks though ;). However, when I reflected on this picture again, I got the feeling she had an agenda of her own and I don’t know what will happen to poor Harvey when he ends up in the fox’s den. She is definitely the stronger of the two and is leading the dance.

ebrace series.indd

That is another one of the series. Little Lou the puppy was constantly harassing Skeleton Edeltraut and back then I was really happy, when I finally got them together in front of the camera. Everybody can understand that Lou wants to be close to Edeltraut, afterall she is just a heap of bones, and I isn’t it brilliant that she seems to have overcome her fear of the playful puppy. Once again after revisiting the images, I have the feeling that poor Edeltraut is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Her blank eyes make me suspicious. Doesn’t Lou parades her like a trophy? Edeltraut doesn’t seem at ease at all.