I'm a musician as well as a writer. My current musical incarnation is as an industrial band (for those of you not familiar with the term, think of it as electronic rock or rock music meets techno). Check it out here:

http://www.myspace.com/soulofthemachineband

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29655382@N00/sets/

Which reminds me, haven't done much for a while.

Oh, I also made props for TV and films--so a fair bit of sculpture.

Which means I spend all day figuring out how to condense a case into a story for the judge or jury.

Here's a link: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/100723/

Ironically, some Russian company thought it was a decent enough shot, because they nicked it for their website, regardless of the copyright!

Hmmmmmmm...... Does this look familiar?

http://www.polysad.ru/index.php?productID=33

BUT, I can tell by the feel of it when it needs something. More heat, less heat, more air... But unless the cullet (raw glass) was bad, it's almost always going to follow the same rules. The only variable I bring to the table is whether I'm up for working within the 7 minute timeframe where it goes from molten to solid. As long as my timing and intuition are up to the game that day, I can generally make it perform the way it's supposed to.

Meanwhile, this dang writing stuff is so dad-gum objective, that it NEVER reacts the same way to the same stimulus. No editor likes the same things. Heck, the same editor likes different things today than they did yesterday.

So while the glass blowing does include such things as a 4 inch, high-pressure natural gas pipe shooting flames at full blast down onto the glass in the furnace, and a similarly fueled glory hole (yup, that's the real name) that gets up to 1,200 degrees so you can re-heat and keep working and shaping the glass, it's all predictable.

Except for the fact that eight 3-hour sessions costs $300, I'd literally live in the glass studio. And, since my daughter came along, I haven't blown at all.

I've had a ton of experience in performance art, and I really do think that has helped me become a better storyteller.

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I'm an amateur film director.

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http://www.TheSculptedHorse.com

When I was in the faire, I made my own clothing, out of leather. This was my outfit for the 2002 Virginia Faire (and me, in it). I made everything (clothingwise) except the hat. Doublet, chemise, sleeves, breeches, boots. And gloves, too, although they're not in that pic.

Currently I make hand-bound leather books, like this one.

I'm trying to get into carving eggshells; I have a box of goose eggs and a dental drill for that very purpose, but life seems to keep getting in the way.

I once scupted something that looked amazingly like a blob--maybe it was actually that amorphous one we've been discussing in another thread.

I do them in a sterile area, with new, sterile needles, barrier protection on everything from hands to spray bottles, and top-of-the-line hypoallergenic pigments (which are disposed of after each client), and sterile bandages. I won't get into the scrubbing and cleaning products, mopping solutions, or the hand sanitizers we use before an after each tattoo and/or glove change.

painting 1

painting 2

I played the piano for years and years, and was - well, good enough for me. Better than most of the others I played with in recitals. Adequate? I enjoyed it. I have the piano now that was mine when I was younger, and I play once in a while, but it's hard to remember, and it makes me go completely mute - not sure what it is about the piano but it occupies all of the language-processing part of my brain.

I have dabbled in watercolors, and plan to try out some more again over the holidays - my son is getting a nifty art kit. We're going to play.

I did some singing (poor) and acting (eh, mediocre?) in school. Not much.

My profession, prior to staying home with the kids, was interaction design/interface design - a kind of art if you ask me.

A glass blower got hickups. He produced two thousand christmas bulbs before they stopped him......

AS for my art, I can paint reasonably well, I wood carve and wood turn, I was once -->||<-- close to being a professional photographer before I purchased my home. I am a Draftsman for a living. In other words, I do have a lot of art skills along with my writing.

Actually, I've been pretty lucky. I've never had anything molten or still being worked come off the pipe and land in my lap and just sit there. Happened to my good friend that I used to blow with. It just smoked right through his jeans and gave him a nasty burn before he could stand up...

I've mostly just had small burns on my hands, but even then, it's pretty easy to get a good one. When I was first starting out, I lost my focus and somehow let the base of my thumb touch a piece that I was shaping. All I heard was a little sizzle, and at first I didn't feel anything. Then the heat of it and the pain of it started to build and kept on building. I looked down and there was an inch-long brown line on my skin.

When I went to put it under cold water, the brown didn't come off because I had literally seared my skin with an instantaneous 2nd degree burn. Gotta say... That will make you dance!

Yes, lgwiz, I do cast in bronze, as well as gold and silver (jewelry), but I rarely do the casting myself. I make the original in clay, then ship it to the foundry for bronze, or to a caster for jewelry (but I need a new caster!! Mine went out of business - with no notice, mind you - and they didn't return my molds, or anyone else's! There's $250-400 per mold I'll have to spend to replace them, argh.) I've cast one bronze and several silver and gold pieces myself, but I don't have the facilities to do it here, nor do I want to. I'd rather make the originals and pay experts to do the mold-making, wax-pouring and chasing, casting, metal chasing and patina work (although I have done each of these jobs myself - just not as well as folks who do it all the time!)

Besides Skadder, why waste a perfectly good dungeon with the need to keep it sterile? Takes all the fun out of a dungeon when there are no rats.

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So, IB when my 40th b-day rolls around and I finally get the tatoo I want a tattoo, you're the guy to call?

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For you, k_f, I'll even squeeze you into my appointment book on short notice.

I've got to warn you, I'm not your "normal" tattoo artist.

[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited December 20, 2007).]

Those are awesome tats!!! The Taradactil skeleton is truely amazing. And who said I wanted a fluffy bunny tattoo???

It's the week before Christmas - not a lot of people are suing right this second. Or more accurately: I'm between deadlines; (2) the client I met with yesterday who's case will eat the next 6 months of my life hasn't signed my representation letter or given me the retainer yet; (3) I just finished a big trial so my brain is mush; and (4) MOST importantly, I met my billables requirement for the year already. Also, I don't sleep much for long periods of time and then sleep for a full weekend.

Back to it. Humm, who can I sue now????