...called "Buyology". It's actually nonfiction, which is quite a departure for me. Can't remember the last time I read something based in reality; usually I get enough reality in my real life and try to avoid it in my off hours. But I heard about this and it intrigued me; it's all about how the advertising industry is, using MRI-related technology, studying the very basic psychological reasons why we buy what we buy, in the hope that they can tailor their already obvious advertising strategies toward getting us to purchase more stuff we don't need. They're looking at which areas of our brain light up when we see certain images as opposed to other images that don't light us up as much. It's fascinating.
I wonder which areas of my brain light up when I go into the fabric store? I'm guessing all of them, because I can't seem to come out of there without lots of stuff I don't need. Like this piece that called to me from the pile of hundreds of flatfolds:
The bees are very tiny. Bees light my brain up anyway, I think they're pretty much the coolest things going, and so when I saw these little cartoon-y bees I just had to have them. So this is the beginning of my spring line of baby/kids' clothes; I cut it out last night, a little onepiece suit with a sunhat. I'll have to figure out how to make a little stuffed bee or something to go with it. Next I have a piece of fabric that is this outrageous shade of pink with an allover dragonfly pattern in a lighter shade of pink, and I already have that earmarked for something.
In other news, my band has spent the last few weeks recording a CD so we can actually go out and book some shows. I'm pretty stoked about it, not just the playing of the shows but the whole recording process. I've done this in the shed in the back yard and I've done it in a studio, and I've got to say I prefer the shed in the back yard. The CD we made at home ended up sounding way better than the one we did in the studio that cost mucho money (how
much money I don't know because I didn't pay for it, but it was a lot at $40 an hour). Joe's got all the recording equipment, and he seems to enjoy playing producer. I only wish PJ's band Decorus Mens was still together, I would have loved to get them in there and record their stuff, some of which was really,
really good and now people will never get to hear it--a fact that seems to frustrate me WAY more than it does PJ for some reason.
One down, two to go! This one I made for Preston using my favorite technique, a combination of applique and fabric paint. It's on the back of a denim jacket. Now I just have to finish the shirt I'm doing for my brother, and the one I'm making for Sparky. Christmas just snuck up on me and I ran out of time. Oh yes, also I have to finish two shirts for Eleanor, who ordered a whole bunch of stuff from me for her family and had to settle for just MOST of the order. I did manage to get these done on time:
So all was not lost. And Eleanor is very patient and understanding, thank goodness! OK, back to work.
