Chat thread! :D

Chatterbox: Down to Earth

Chat thread! :D

Chat thread! :D

submitted by Lupine@BB&Peregrine, age 14,she/her, Platform 9 and 3/4
(October 13, 2021 - 7:40 pm)

finally here! For Halloween I was going to be Franz from Coppelia, but as it turned out I got sick before I could finish the costume, so i didn’t go trick or treating and still haven’t finished it *sobs* I hope to post a picture of it once it’s done though because i’m very proud of it so far. I’ve heard of the Moomins.

Yesss I’ve read most of The Spirit Glass (I’ve started it several times and really enjoyed it but i have never been able to finish it because i’m bad at reading and then it has to go back to the library XD) and it’s so good!! I really hope to finish reading it sometime. I’ll have to see if I can find Spindlefish and Stars. Do you read a lot of Middle Grade? I like it better than YA in general, but I really wish there was “lower YA” because it seems like all of it’s like, super mature and with 18-20-something year old characters and also overly edgy a lot of the time (I have this problem often even with things that people find good rep for darker subjects - like it can only focus on the biggest most shock value inducing parts and not really on the other parts that are likely to hurt as much, or more because you can think about them more often/easier and they often happen more anyway).

Also, apparently the Korngold violin concerto is actually on level with the Sibelius XD it’s hard to tell without playing things. absolutely beautiful piece though. I hope to get around to playing it as soon as possible. Also, i just rewrote my JC Bach cadenza (still haven’t performed it, i will this year finally) and now it’s way harder >:D

Thank you so much about the art!! I’ve done a decent amount of technical studies, which has helped. Also yeah, i feel like my style is fairly distinctive. I mean, i don’t look at a tonnnn of art though. It pretty much evolved out of me not knowing how to draw but still drawing a ton XD probably not a reccomendation XD I think I’ve improved a decent amount again, though I still actually like some of those old drawings, which is kind of bizarre. I’ve been trying to get better at perspective now. I’m so bad *sobs* Also I can often eyeball perspective fairly well, even from my mental picture, but when I try to put it in a grid, i fail miserably. Idk *shrugs* I also usually do better doing outlines (like contour) than trying to draw all the separate shapes something is made up of, because when you draw all the separate shapes you have to get all of those right. I don’t draw or write as much as I’d like to, though. I’ve been trying to do more practice drawings too - like quick sketches of different poses or that sort of thing.

There’s a lot of info about sustainability in the fashion industry (and in general) on this thread: http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/downtoearth/node/581045 I hope to bring it back to life a bit. Thrifitng is actually a pretty big thing as far as environmental help. The way you wash your clothes is really important too, but there’s more about that on the thread :D (basically: air dry (you can get a drying rack if you don’t have one)! It makes the clothes last longer and uses less energy :D) definitely let me know if you have thoughts or questions! 

Unfortunately, i would imagine a lot of the issue is concentrated with certain people… i mean more average people need to reduce consumption too, but if you average it out, the average piece of clothing gets worn 7 times before being thrown away. Probably most clothes get worn like once or way more than 7, but that’s still terrifying. Also, it’s just getting worse and worse. That statistic is from The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth L. Cline, which is several years old at this point if i recall correctly; it’s probably worse now. while there’s not an exact number of total clothes produced at the moment, the average USA consumer throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes a year (per person). one t-shirt usually doesn’t even weigh a pound. also at least 100 billion clothes were made in 2014 alone, and as i’ve said, the number is getting worse. That was 2014. It’s almost certainly more now. There’s so many clothes there’s nothing to do with them all, either - most get burned or trashed. Back to the statement of the issue being concentrated with certain people, if we say an average piece of clothes weighs 1 pound and that’s 81 pieces, i find it hard to believe that most people actually get that many yearly - more than they should, sure, but 81?! Clothes are seen as disposable now, and they’re not even made to last because of that, like nothing is anymore. I think it’s the same with modern appliances, even like dishwashers and stuff. It’s called planned obsolescence, but if you look that up you get things defending it because consumers want new features and such - why is this on consumers? Sure, they shouldn’t be getting that much stuff, but the companies actually have control (and the responsibility). and they are the ones who know how much they’re making and how much they’re polluting, and in most cases they cover it up!

I intend to reboot that thread. basically, just try to buy as little as possible, and be very selective with what you do buy, both in number and in quality. As for thrifting, make sure that any items you're donating are the highest quality possible, since there's too many donations and most get thrown out; smaller thrift shops can be better about this, as far as i know, but that's anecdotal. this goes for everything, whether fashion or not - fashion is just a very bad offender. i'll try to post some more ideas for how to reduce waste in the thread i linked :D

I like the way you described how fictional artists are written XD i definitely wouldn't say that my imagination just manifests on paper either. Like they never have to do smaller drawings to prep for a big drawing or work on things they’re not good at… idk it’s interesting. Kinda wish it was me though XD although i do a lot of the prep work in my head, but seeing it on paper can be different somehow. (especially because it never turns out as good as in my head XD) 

How has violin been? Art? Life in general? 

submitted by Blackfooted Bobcat
(December 5, 2024 - 5:52 pm)