Two weeks ago I walked into a tattoo parlor with my aunt and uncle, bared my shoulder to a woman I'd never met, and ended up with this.


This wasn't a snap decision. I'd been planning on getting this tattoo for almost two years. The idea came to me when I saw a video of one of my favorite youtube filmmakers getting his first tattoo. He explained that he saw his tattoo as a signature--a snapshot of sorts, of him at that age. A way to remember who he was and what was important to him when he got it.
How cool would that be? So I started considering options. What could I possibly choose to represent myself that would be timeless? It took me a long time and a lot of online gallery searching, but I finally came up with the above design.
The comedy and tragedy masks are appropriate for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is, of course, it's been a symbol of the theatre for centuries. And as I'm sure you know by now, the theatre is my life. But I think that the two faces--one suffused with joy, the other dissolved in grief--suit me for another reason. I tend to be a very cheerful, upbeat sort of person. I automatically see the good in any situation and I don't let life's curveballs throw my game. I'm also very upfront about my personality; I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. I can put on any mask you'd like when I'm playing a character onstage or writing a character in a book, but in the real world, I'm myself--in all my kooky, theatre-loving, insanely-optimistic, Christmas-Elf-disguised-as-a-human glory.
Whew. Okay, monologue over. Allow me to explain the other features of my tattoo.
The letters are in honor of my little brother, who I am super close with. I figure that a boyfriend or a husband (common names to put on a tattoo, yes?) can change, but my brother will be my brother forever. Plus I think it's sort of cool that he'll always be with me. :) The colors are also symbolic: blue is my favorite color, and orange is my bro's. The tattoo is on my left shoulder (my brother's a leftie) and he's planning on getting one on his right shoulder when he's 18 because I'm a rightie.
Do I have a tie-in with something artistic and creative-y here? No, not really. I just wanted to share this cool little moment with you guys. :P

Christmas Makeover!

Christmas is hands-down my favorite time of the year. The colors, the lights, the decorations, the sense of goodwill, the carols--I love absolutely all of it. I come from a long and proud line of Christmas Elves, and I'm no exception. My family and I decorate our house for Christmas promptly the day after Thanksgiving, and start listening to our vast collection of Christmas music long before that.
It's also my busiest time of year--especially this year! I just recently started rehearsals for a Christmas show I'm asst. directing, which means four or five nights a week of driving a half hour to and from the theater and at least two hours of rehearsal a night. I've also got some paying work coming up: I'll be working at a downtown puppet studio running lights for both of their Christmas shows. Besides all that, I have lots of Christmas presents and writing projects to get done.
As such, I decided to give my blog a Christmas makeover a little early. (What? November can be the Christmas season, too, right?) Since I usually only get on this blog once a week or so, I figure it evens out. ;-) I also have some blog posts coming up on the creativity of the Christmas season, so stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, enjoy the Christmas colors and carols that have been added to the Sky's the Limit universe, and breathe in the scent of peppermint and pine needles! (Or just pretend you can smell peppermint or pine needles.) Better yet, go out there and start getting ready for the best holiday of the year...I know I am!

And now, a musical interlude

Recent visitors to my blog may have noticed some jaunty little tunes emanating from the bottom of the page. I realized I hadn't really given an introduction to my newly-added musical background, so I thought this would be an excellent time for a music-related post.
Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom is a rabid music lover, and one of my earliest memories is of her singing me to sleep at night. My grandparents (my mom's side) are also crazy about music. Every year since I was four, they've taken me to a local ragtime festival, and I've grown up tapping my foot to such classics as the Maple Leaf Rag and the Easy Winners. My dad's side of the family was never quite as into music, but even so, my dad enjoys a good toe-tapper as much as any of us.
Although we may not be aware of it, music is an integral part of almost everything we do. When we see a movie, there is often an underscore that we don't even notice, highlighting the most dramatic scenes of the film. When we walk into a store, an appropriate radio station or soundtrack greets us and invites us to browse the aisles as long as we please. There is music for all types and tastes: cheery, sad, fast, slow, danceable, breathtaking, etc.
Music infiltrates my life in many other ways as well. I am a hobbyist cello player, and I especially enjoy puzzling out tunes from movies and favorite artists on my instrument. When I write, I often put on a selection of Chinese instrumental music, as it helps me concentrate while also giving me energy. As far as the theatre is concerned, musicals are one of my favorite kinds of shows. From the current Broadway hits (Wicked and Legally Blonde, to name a few) to some golden oldies (Oklahoma and Annie Get Your Gun) to some obscure ones that nobody else has probably even heard off (Zanna, Don't, anyone?) my playlists are choc full of showtunes.
And speaking of playlists, this would be a perfect time to bring up yet another way that I express my creativity.
I am the proud owner of an iphone, so I can and do carry my tunes with me wherever I go. Scroll through my song list and you'll be greeted my an insane amount of variety. I'm not the type that listens to just one or two genres. If you put my ipod on shuffle, you may be catapulted from pop to 60's music to showtunes to movie soundtracks to Chinese instrumental to children's music to country pop to Christmas tunes and everything in between.
What's the story with all the variety? Well, the trick is, I keep an open mind. There was a time when I would have turned up my nose at the idea of country pop. My mom has always said she isn't a fan of country, so even though I'd never really tried the genre, I stuck with her opinion. Then I started listening to Shania Twain, thinking she fit more into the "pop" category. Then, once I found the wonderful world of Pandora, I created a station for Shania and started listening to such artists as Rascall Flatts, Carrie Underwood, and Jo Dee Messina. And I discovered something--I actually liked it!
So now I'm careful not to wrinkle my nose at something before I give it a shot. Right now in school (have I mentioned that I'm homeschooled? Hmm--material for a later blog post, I think. :P) we're doing a unit on music appreciation. We're working on the baroque period at the moment (one of my mom's favorites.) Again, I've never been much of a classical music type, but now that I'm listening with open ears, I'm finding some songs I really enjoy. Maybe some Bach will find its way into my ipod one of these days.
But the point of all this is, my music is me. Every song that I make room for on my ipod is important to me. Whether it's a tune from a silly Disney movie from ages ago, a Christmas carol in the middle of July, a Hilary Duff song with lyrics that speak to me, or dance song that's just darn fun to listen to, every song on my ipod will tell you something about me. And if you look at the list as a whole, you'll definitely get a good sense of my personality.
So that playlist you're hearing on this blog, that's a tiny piece of my master playlist. Maybe I'll post a few of my favorite artists and albums sometime--the songs that are playing are some of them. Each one will tell you something abuot me. "Breathe" is my favorite song by one of my all-time favorite artists, Michelle Branch. "Celestial Soda Pop" is the song that goes with a number at a puppet studio I work for. (More about that in the next post.) "Positivity" sums up my view of the world. "Candle on the Water" is from one of my favorite Disney movies ever, Pete's Dragon.
And...in its own way, isn't creating a personal playlist which catalogues, through notes and lyrics, all the things that are important to you...isn't that creative?