Bindercon LA, March 19 & 20th

a.k.a. The best conference in the world, a.k.a. One of the most worthy ways I’ve ever spent my time or money.  I’m actually writing this from LA in a hotel room that just last night was filled with the unruly shrieking of 3 of the many, many new Friends For Life that I met here. In a few minutes, 2 more Friends will arrive and the shrieking will resume. *I obviously meant “readings”

Bindercon is a conference for women and gender non-conforming writers. The panels were so intense and smart and wonderful that words alone could not convey the impact. Which is why I sketch-noted pretty much everything I saw.

If you like sketch-notes, graphic recording and the stories, advice, and wisdom of powerful human beings, then please enjoy my notes from Bindercon LA:
Please feel free to share and repost as a whole or part with credit to Gillian G. You can link back to me here, at gilliang.com, or on twitter @GillianGdotcom.

Keynote Address: Jillian Lauren & Rebecca Walker 

Out of the Comfort Zone: Creating a Diverse Career: Pamela Redmond Satran

Lunch Keynote: Robin Schiff & Lisa Kudrow

How to Tell Your Story – It Matters:
Margot Leitman

Breaking into Book Writing: Minal Hajratwala & Stefani Von Borstel

Breakfast with Tina Aldatz
Writing Cultural Identity: Sabrina Almeida, Natashia Deón, Simona Supekar, Monona Wali, Sandy Yang, Désirée Zamorano

Tense & Sensibility: Ways to Tackle Tragedy in YA Literature: Brandy Colbert, Lissa Price, Isabel Quintero, Lilliam Rivera, Elizabeth Ross

Keynote: Effie Brown & Jenny Lumet

Every panel was incredible, the event itself was smooth and so thoughtfully & inclusively planned, and the connections and friends I made are… stupid hot. Like everyone blows my mind with the hotness of their minds and ideas and motivation and hilariousness and goof-offery and wisdom and drive.  I don’t have even one snidey, off-hand chaser for that sincerity shot. I mean it.

The event ended on the talk with Effie Brown and Jenny Lumet, and the  resonating theme for me was that we* have to hire each other      (*We: Women & non-conforming writers, producers, artists, collaborators, agents, creatives…) and support each others good work.

Speaking of: Please check out my weekly webcomic Jerkface A-hole. It’s a teen diary, drawn in-class, coloured with highlighters, and written with the toxic combination of feelings and a sense of humour. Jerkface A-hole.
ALSO, I do this type of work for hire. So if you’re speaking or running a conference, I can sketchnote (as above, for posting later), and can do graphic recording  (live-draw on a stage during talks). I’m based in Toronto, and can travel.  

Note: These were initially for my own reference only, and so include the points that stood out to me at the moment and cover only the panels I attended. Any and all spelling/grammar mistakes are TOTALLY intentional. I swear.

Drake Hotel Holiday Decor 2014: Sky Yard

For the second year running, I’ve worked on the holiday decor at one of Toronto’s cultural institutions, the Drake Hotel. Despite a sometimes… rowdy weekend crowd, the Drake has consistently excellent programming from exhibitions to performances to nebulous happenings.  Enough about the Drake! Where’s MY STUFF? Here it is Ego, so chill out: You can see my contribution in the mural of the skinny dipping polar bear jumpers, and the various snow covered trees, both 3D and 2D.

I also did a paint-by-number themed window for the lounge, which I will post photos of as soon as I have some good ones, but you can see all of this in person with a warm (or cold) drink in hand at the Drake Hotel right now and until Dec.30th (ish).

Thanks to the Drake’s Mia Nielsen (curator) and Rea McNamara (assistant curator) for generally being very awesome.

Am I Right, Ladies?

What a hilarious show this was! Comedy is a friend to the freelancer, so I was more than happy to put this together for Mariko and Heather who hosted (and performed in) this show above. If you get a chance to see any of the hilarious people above, do it.

Tig Notaro: LIVE, the most special Special

I have a real love of comedy, since podcasts are the soundtrack of my working days, and I’d rather laugh than cry while I work, which would happen if I listened to the news. So comedy podcasts it is!  And the crazy thing about podcasts is how quickly you come to feel like an insider. “I heard Mark telling Jimmy about this show at Largo…” Dude. I wasn’t actually there. I don’t get to use only their first names like we are pals, says me to myself in the mirror.  But none the less, this  connection is born (still-born) and you kind of nurture it along without noticing.

Then, since I follow some of my best comedy pals on twitter (they’ll follow me back any day now), I heard about my guuuurl Tig Notaro dropping something new, Louis C.K.-Guerrilla style. And so I downloaded it, and listened to it… and since it is getting wild press right now, anyone reading this probably knows that it’s this incredibly raw and funny and honest set about how Tig Notaro’s life SUCKS right now but is also amazing and how it is to be living in the awkward spot between tragedy and comedy.

And after hearing this set I felt weirdly moved to make her a present. And I have no real way to get it to her (I am bashfully emailing her assistant, which I expect will go straight to the spam pile), but I wanted to make it anyway, whether she gets it or not.

So here is your present, Tig Notaro, who I have never met.  I thought your special really was special.

EDIT: As I have learned from Tig’s podcast Professor Blastoff and the comments of devoted fans, Mme. Notaro is doing extremely well, has had successful surgery, and is now kicking ass and taking names.  There was a bidding war for her book, she is in New York and working and everything is coming up Notaro. There are some proverbs about rain and sunshine and light and darkness. Apply your favorite here! 

You can download the special here, for only $5 measly dollars. I highly recommend it. Obviously.

I’m on twitter at @GillianGoerz, if any comedians want to follow me and be best friends. Cool.

COMICS! Allan’s Story, Page 1

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN????  Tune in for page two on Saturday!

ALSO, tonight is the opening reception for the Bicycle Film Fest’s Art Showcase! Gladstone. 6 PM.  Be there.

I’ll remind you of these things and more on twitter @GillianGoerz

FREEDOM

Since moving to Toronto, biking (as in cycling) has become a routine (and previously insignificant, if not totally unheard of) part of my life. Even more so since my “real job” is at a bicycle store that exposes me to facets of the cycling community I would not have otherwise encountered. I would never in a thousand years have guessed that so many art opportunities would have come out of the cycling connection, but as it stands, I am set to be in not one but THREE bike-themed art shows this year, one past, and two future.  The one past was mentioned here, called the Romance of the Wheel – a true treat put together by many excellent former OCAD classmates (namely power couple Jessie & Dmitry. Click those links to be wowed by talent).   This is the piece I painted for that show:

Extreme Kudos to Dmitry for photographing the picture for me. The colour is great.

This piece will be shown for a second time at The Bicycle Film Festival’s art showcase: Back Breaks at the Gladstone, with the Opening Reception on Wednesday, August. 10th at 6 pm.

… and then shown for a third time (this time accompanied by an it-better-be-finished-by-then companion piece) at the reprise of The Romance of the Wheel, at Curbside Cycle, opening reception Thursday, August 18 at 8 pm.

And as mentioned, prints of FREEDOM are available currently at Curbside Cycle for the bargain price of $25.  Appearing soon, and suitably at Freedom Clothing Collective (I’ll keep you posted).

Keep it real my pretties, and follow me on twitter why don’t you?  @GillianGoerz

Ads!

I’ve been building a lot of ads at work, which is nice because I am afforded the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want.  This is what I wanted to do most recently:

Coming soon:

– the blog reveal (oh, be still thy beating hearts) of my piece from the Romance of the Wheel (soon to be displayed in the Bicycle Film Festival art showcase at the Gladstone – details to follow);

– Another COMIC! What are these comics? ask those lost in Internet’s musky depths, finding this blog only when an image search for flamenco dancing in Holland brings you here (this happened). Well, it is where I draw a pictoral retelling of other people’s submitted oft-told stories of substance use and abuse. Sad, scary, squalid, shilarious (see how I kept it alliterative by adding another “s” there? Pronounce that “sil-air-eous” in your head,  not with a “sh”), these are the stories you keep in your back pocket for the fireside. Share them with me and I will make them into a hastily drafted comic for ever or as long as Internet shall live (2 weeks max).  Email your true stories to gilliangoerz(at)gmail(dot)com.  Request your pseudonym or email your permission to use your real name and likeness. If you send nothing I will MAKE IT UP with all the possibility that entails. Choose wisely.

Requests, followed by threats. That is what I am all about. More of that on twitter: @GillianGoerz

 

Creative Type No.3

Everything has been so busy lately, the last month or two have flown by. It feels like March, not May. What has been so busy about it, you ask?  Weeeeeelllllll…. One of my favorite things that kept me busy of late was Creative Type No. 3, the third annual exhibition of typography based art and design work.  Three genius friends of mine have been putting this on since we were all still in school together and I think it’s a really unique and exceptional show. I was happy and proud to have a piece in it for the second year running. Here is my piece in digi form:

Butter yellow, how do I love thee? Let me count the creamy and delicious ways…  So hooked on this colour right now.  It printed very nicely on a big sheet of cream coloured stonehenge.

What’s that? Why yes, I DO have a few crappy camera phone snaps from the show! I’d LOVE to show them here!

This is a shot of the PACKED opening reception. This place was loaded to capacity with people spilling out into the street.

We came back the next day to actually see work that was hung below  6′, previously covered by swarms of people.  This is the wall my piece was on (can you see it?).  This hanging continued the tradition of the very talented and awesome Adrian Forrow and I having our work hung next to each other.  As it was at our grad show, so it shall be FOREVER. (His piece is “Never Sleep”. Nice one brah!)

Here’s my main man Dusty posing standing casually in the gallery. I posted it because it gives a good sense of some of the amazing and DIVERSE work that was there.  And the excellent curating. Ongoing kudos to Carla, Jacque and Blair.

Here is my piece close up, hung on the wall. So buttery. I am hooked on that shade of yellow!

You can see yellow is a theme with me. Here I am posing (yes, posing) awkwardly in front of my poster.  My face really conveys that “I am in a photograph”.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening. It was a real mash-up of people (different people all literally mashed into a room made to fit only 2/3rds of them) so I am sorry if I missed you or wasn’t able to spend the quality time to acknowledge your presence! I appreciate it none the less!

Romance of the Wheel

Youpee! I love to be excited about things and I am excited about this:  it’s an upcoming art show that I am in along with a ton of awwwwesome artists and fellow OCAD alums (alums?) and to make it all even better, it is bicycle themed! I work in a BIKE STORE.  This means I am excited.

I am also excited about how BALLIN’ the poster is. (Whenever something is really great these days, the only word that comes to mind is “ballin'”. Why fight it?).  One of the show’s co-organizers, and bad-ass artist Jessie Durham made this poster and I cannot be more all over it. I am going to french it and have it’s babies. And for sure put it on my wall.

*singing* Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?

Yes, she is.

And check out that line up!  People, if you haven’t heard of these hot talents, get on your Googler and start looking! You are meeting the heavy hitters of tomorrow, and perhaps, just perhaps, this show might be the perfect place to pick up their work at low-low “I’m just starting out” prices, before they have fully realized how talented they are. And then you can say you knew them when! And in years to come you can snottily tell your friends ,”I prefer their earlier, more experimental work”  and “You’ve seen my 2011 original haven’t you?” and they will strap on their jet packs and fly home, jealous of you! That’s right, YOU!

Wow. This is going to be the best show ever.

Details: Romance of the Wheel: Love, Hate & Cycling

Where: Jet Fuel: 519 Parliament, Toronto ON

When: June 3 – June 30, (Yes, that’s BIKE MONTH), Opening reception June 3.

See you there!

Paperback Nobodies, No More.

Back in November I participated in a show at the lovely Freedom Clothing Collective, a lovely local gem run by excellent women with great taste.  The themed show had participants working with second hand books to give them a second life. Hence the title. Here’s the piece I submitted:

It’s a part of a larger series I am chipping away at (slowly. So slowly) called FACES that indulges both my love of painting portaits and my love of lurking people on Facebook.  All of the pieces are comprised of two profile pictures of different people side by side. I wrote a terribly brilliant and magnetic artist’s statement to justify myself for the show, but will not suffer anyone to read it here. Take my word for it: genius.

(I do think there is something really interesting about the way we choose to represent ourselves in social media and how that’s increasingly where first impressions are made – and comparing those impressions).

This is also a celebrity spotting, since the karaoke participant (or citrus fruit fan, depending on your reading), is none other then my friend Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail theatre critic. DID YOU SPOT HIM?  Well done. Now go see a play, you dullard!

The painting is gouache on old book. For you sticklers for detail.