Fun Friday: How symmetrical is your face?

How symmetrical is your face? Do you have a "better" side that you use for the camera? It came up the other day in conversation so I got curious.  I felt like my face was pretty symmetrical, but was willing to put it to the test and found this website that will show you what each side of your face would look like if it was perfectly symmetrical. I think I read that it does not work on iPads, so head to your computer.

If you want to give it a try and need a photo, just use the camera in your computer if you have one. I used Photo Booth and made a quick photo for the experiment. No comments on my classy outfit and spotless office, please...

Here is the original photo:

Here is how I split up:

Ha ha! Me without bangs again.

...and me with a nerdy middle part.

I don't think there is a HUGE difference, and I'm still pretty recognizable.

I was reading up a little bit on the meaning of symmetry in faces and this article talks about how your facial symmetry has a lot to do with childhood stresses. Interesting!

So, are you willing to give it a shot? How does your face divide?

Fun Friday! Want to test your color acuity?

Last weekend I was wigged out by this fascinating episode on RadioLab. It discusses the history of recorded color, the science of color and the phenomenons within this scientific process of perceiving color. I was fascinated about how in any ancient developing civilization, the recording of words for color always start with black...then white...then red....then yellow or green but last is ALWAYS blue. Poor blue! My 13-year-old daughter and I were riveted. There is also a great soundtrack of color songs covered by various artists.

It does hurt my head a little bit to wonder about color and how it's perceived by humans. But as a graphic designer, it's my job to be very attuned to varying colors. I imagine it's the same for a musician who can hear that a note is ever-so-flat or sharp to their ears. The variations are perceivable if we exercise that muscle in our brain or eye or ear that does that particular job.

Do you want to check your hue acuity? An online Munsell Hue Test is one way to do it. This online test takes just a few minutes and it's interesting to see how accurate your perceptions are. If you scored a 0 then perhaps you are a tetrachromat (<--new word for me!). I took the test quickly and was surprised that I scored a 15--really, I expected more of myself! ;oD {Margot}

A working mom's cry for help...

A working mom's confession: I spent the last half of yesterday alternating from a lackluster pit of despair (aka pretending I was asleep) and holding back tears of frustration (shouting at my kids). Worse still, this was the second day this week I felt like that. It's been building ever since school was out for the summer last May. And I'm wondering if anyone has any remedy for this modern mom's dilemma.

I work in a studio in my basement. I have to make the same amount of income every month in order for the bills to be paid. I love my work and have a huge list of things I want to accomplish with my career.

I have also have three kids. And those kids practice swim team every morning. And they eat snacks every 20 minutes in the living room where they are not supposed to be eating OR watching the entire Dr Who series on Netflix. And they provoke sibling fights when bored. And they want their friends to come over. And their friend needs a ride to come over. And they don't want to eat THAT cereal for breakfast. And they are riding their bikes in the street without their helmets like the Goonies. And they want to do something to make money so that they can go to CVS for the third time today to get more candy. And they need their bike chain fixed. And they need more water balloons. And they need the outside spigot turned on. And they need a towel. And they need more Bandaids. And they can't find their Crocs to go to the pool. And they can't EVER do anything FUN like go to Chuck-E-Cheese, or bowling, or The Beach Waterpark, or Kings Island, or Go Carting. And I can't cook something for dinner that DOESN'T include vegetables. And they need to read their books instead of play video games.

I really can't take it any more. I love my kids. I even like them. They're smart and fun and want to do things that are creative and clever. And I have to say "no" all the time when really, I'd love to say "Yes! Let's work on your sewing. Yes! Let's build a rocket. Yes! Let's fix your bike. Yes! Let's go to the pool and have fun this afternoon...." But I can't. I can't do anything with them when I'm trying to work. I've spent the entire summer with one foot in my office and one foot in my car driving the kids somewhere. It's worn me so raw. It makes me angry and frustrated that I can't be the mom I want to be OR the business woman I want to be. I want them back in school so badly and I feel guilty that I'm not enjoying every precious day with people who will be gone from me in a matter of years. I'm afraid they might only remember angry mom, and not a wonderful, loving, nurturing mom. 

My life is taking more from me than I have to give. I know that it's my choice to do these things. I don't know how to join those two loves in a way that is amenable to everyone. So I ask this serious question. How do you do it?

Printing Custom Fabrics with Spoonflower

As we work on the content of the Dear Liza Magazine, we were really interested in thematic expressions. Themes can be broadly figurative or literal, but I like the idea of exploring one topic for just more than one or two pages. I find that the real creativity blooms when I look deeper into some simple idea and allow it to stretch and grow within that one constraint.

I've had a burning desire to do something with some strawberry patterns I'd shelved for The Right Time in the future, and sent those designs to be printed on fabric by Spoonflower. Now, if you do not know about Spoonflower yet, be warned: You will obsess. You can print any quantities of your own custom designs (and by any quantity I mean you can print a swatch!) or choose from the multitudes of amazing designs that have already been uploaded to the site by other designers. I ordered a swatch book of the sample fabrics, so I would have some inkling of what cotton poplin, voile and sateen fabrics are. Not being in the world of sewing leaves me void of this critical information. In addition to the fabric swatches, Spoonflower sent swatches tantalizing me with their printable wallpaper, gift wrap and fabric decals. It's all I can do to NOT plan on opening another custom business with those options but I shall stay focused!

I have further developed the designs for 'round two' and will share them in the mag. Until then, I will be dreaming of napkins, pillows or anything that can be sewn with those fabrics....

What happens when something goes wrong during a performance?

Photo by Fleur Neale

Now that you have known me {Margot} for more than 5 minutes, you now know that I am a SuperBigFan of Glen Hansard. Glen is an indie folk musician from Dublin, who after a long and tenacious career starting as a busking (street performing) musician at the age of 13, through 30 plus years as the lead singer for The Frames, finally came into some Big Time Fame with a little independent movie called Once. If you want to hear the ins and outs of his career, just call me. I know a lot of information about these things. It's what you do when you are a SuperBigFan, and I own it 100%. I like to think I sound less crazy if I admit to it.

Anyway, what the rest of the world is learning about Glen is that he is an incredible performer. He's a great songwriter and singer too, but there is magic about his live performances. He somehow knows how to give and connect but also to present himself as the one to watch. So there is ego, because how could ANYONE go on stage and feel good about people listening to him if that didn't exist, right? But Glen also has a generosity that is unmatched in any other musician I've seen or come to know. He prepares for that night's performance all that day, considering songs and sometimes learning new ones just to please that particular audience. Then he gets on stage and sends out energy that is palpable.

I did want to share was this particular review of an unusual performance that occurred in London called A Scream and An Outrage. This was a musical collaboration with some pretty big names in the forward-thinking creative world of music: Nico Muhly (a composer startling both classical and contemporary music fans), Bryce Dessner (of the National and founder of The Music Now Festival in Cincinnati), Richard Reed Perry (Arcade Fire etc). We saw a similar line-up at this year's Music Now Festival and while it was an incredible evening of creativity, I sense that it was only the appetizer to the night in London with the full Britten Sinfonia orchestra.

So, here Glen is on stage with a full orchestra and he is ready to play his song The Gift, which he wrote and performed for The Odd Life of Timothy Green (I do not recommend that movie). Here is how the reviewer describes what happens:

Glen (with the help once again of Charlotte) starts off ‘This Gift’ ahead of the normal introduction and has to put his hand up and stop everyone to give it another go. Unfortunately after the first chorus Glen loses his place and it is here that Glen becomes very aware that he has an orchestra and not his band behind him. I’m in the front row and after losing his place I hear Glen approach the conductor and ask if the orchestra can go back and re-play the part in question so he can come back in. The conductor says quite simply ‘No’ and Glen is left play out the piece on guitar with no vocals. It’s a highly amusing exchange and Glen relays his request and the response he received to the audience afterwards to many chuckles. Glen also comments that Nico had suggested to him earlier that day that ‘This Gift’ was not quite ready and Glen concedes that Nico was right – ahh well nevermind!

Okay, do we as performers and artists and professionals not live in paralyzing fear of this exact thing? I happened to be on Fox19 News this morning worrying about that very moment. The moment when we have completely f-cked up. right. in front. of everyone. I actually cringed when I read about it the first time. And if I'm honest, I was really just horrified for the scared-to-death-to-try girl who lives inside me. It was like seeing something you say to yourself will actually never happen, happen. Oh God. How will I ever be anything worthwhile if something this could happen to me?

But what did Glen do? He went on. He performed what he could. And then he made everyone in the audience relax when he made a joke of it. And it's not like he was saying that it didn't matter, or that he didn't screw up. He was just honest and open about a mistake. In addition to that humility, he goes even further when he concedes that he was wrong to push it despite the advice to keep it back. Humility AND bravery. I want some of that.

I don't know about you, but this made me feel a little bit like crying. Because my God, if Glen Hansard can screw up in front of thousands of people, live through it and then learn from it, then I think I might be able to as well if and when the time comes for my big mistake. And that is what will keep me going today.

Feeling claustrophobic...

I have a nice little studio I set up in the only private room in my house: the basement. Only, it's not one of those nice refurbished basements with carpeting, a flat screen tv and a bar ready for guests. It's a cement floored, cement walled, pipes and wires hanging from the open ceilinged place for storage with a random toilet in the corner typical of a 1930's midwestern house. It's dry, I'll give it that, but for the many times we've tried to pretty it up with carpet scraps and castaway furniture it is still a cement storage space. It is through this ambient entry that I have my studio set up. My office is at least a room with a door, so I can close off the rest of the cold industry, but it is also walled with cement including the ceiling. When I moved in, I painted the walls and put down Flor tiles to soften it up. I filled it with remnants of my nicer desks and shelving from my retail store so it's not in itself a design atrocity. It's just sometimes relentlessly cold and no amount of cheery paint will take away the feeling that I'm in a design dungeon. Or that I'm trapped in a design box and the hamster wheel of habits (email, facebook, pinterest, work, email, facebook, pinterest, work) is enough to make me vibrate with pent up anxiety.

That is how I felt yesterday. And don't get me wrong, I had some fun things to work on. I created a clever rehearsal dinner invitation, I finished up signage for a big gala, I designed some point of sale pieces for my husband's gelato company. I was productive and should have been perfectly content working away in my little studio. But I just wasn't. I was stir crazy. I was feeling like I should be working through the craziness even though every fiber of my body wanted to bolt from my office and do something, anything, but work. Should I play hookey and go shopping? Should I sit outside and sketch until I feel more sane? Should I tie myself to the chair and make a blog post? Pull the photos from my memory disk in my computer? Finish the photo books I started? Take the dog to the dog park?

I realized that I just needed to finish something. And preferably something easy and mindless and cheap and that didn't require my creative working mind or pleasing a client. So I bolted out of the office and into the beautiful 75 degree sunny day. I went to the post office to ship some graduation announcements to a client and stopped by the hardware store to pick up a can of white spray paint. Then I set the metal patio bench I'd bought at Goodwill in the grass and sprayed it white. No drop cloth, no preparation to slow me down, I just did it. Then I spread out a picnic blanket, flopped myself on it and stared at the clouds with my dog at my side. And I did feel better.