Business as usual
- May 13
- 5 min read
The shop re-opened last month, which means I can now shut-up about pre-orders and get back to business as usual.
This month's business as usual is:
a shop update, now that pre-orders are closed
things I recently watched and read.
Horror Art Shop Update
Thank you so much to those who ordered when the shop reopened! Those of you who
pre-ordered tote bags and t-shirts are part of an elite group - because these preorders are now CLOSED. It is not currently feasible for me to continue selling these, so if you didn't preorder, then sorry, you missed out! You can sign up for 'back in stock requests,' which you should definitely do if you are interested, as it lets me know which items I should bring back next time!
I have either received or am about to receive the last of the stock I'm waiting for from suppliers, so orders will be out soon.
There are still some other items available: Stickers and archive t-shirts.
I may continue adding stickers in future, as this is the most sustainable item for me, right now.
And I may just be considering doing further stock drops and making this a priority next year....
Wedding Art and Craft Update
I've gotten some things finished! But also finding I'm working on things that I don't want to reveal yet. Got to keep some surprises for my guests as well as you! Check below what I am happy to show now.
Sculpture
I mostly finished the paper mache items! They look very crafty and unpolished in a way that I find slightly irritating (if I focused on just one, I could have made it really good), but also in a way that I don't mind because it shows it's handmade and makes it specific to us. So, if you didn't figure it out earlier, these are photo props, including:
a giant polaroid frame (distressed/yellowed on one side, and purple/teal on the other side - the colours don't show up well in the photo)
a film slate
a record
a TV.
There is also a box that I'm planning to make look like a VHS case. For the VHS and record, I'm planning to design some stuff in Illustrator to print and stick on, as I didn't want to paint those (and I'm using it as a chance to upskill in Illustrator). I may do that with the TV too, haven't decided yet. Any suggestions for things that should be written on those?
I've been using air-dry clay to sculpt onto one of the two masks that I previewed earlier. It's not looking like much right now, and I went in without a plan. I think for the second mask I'll plan more. Any suggestions there?
Lastly, I started sculpting these little ghosts, as well as a few other little things I will keep hidden for now.
Sketches and paintings
I showed the under-layer of this painting last time. So much has happened since then! It's one of my favs right now. The black dripping from the eyes was the entire point from the start, but I was worried I was going to ruin my work so far by adding it. I personally like it, but what do you think?
Recently Consumed Media
I must have watched/read more horror since the last time I did this update (especially since I skipped this update for one or two newsletters!). But I can't seem to think of much. What is top of my mind is....
Movies and TV
Project Hail Mary: I'm not going to the cinema a lot right now (too busy, too expensive - have a wedding to plan!), but a few people raved about it so we went for my fiance's birthday. I knew it was Ryan Gosling in space alone but other than that I knew nothing. I was expecting a dark, fatalistic sort of vibe but it's totally the opposite. I loved the opening scenes (the acting and how it was shot). The narrative structure was great; revealing information at the right pace and time. I also liked that I was wrong about the vibe - I found it uplifting, without it being so positive and happy that it was a fairytale.
12 Monkeys TV show: It's shit and I hate it but now watching to see if it gets
better/can't help myself because I'm a completionist. I expected it to be different from the movie but it completely misses the point of the movie and doesn't really go along with the same themes. As a stand-alone show, nothing to do with the movie, it's just still bad. Inconsistent or non-existent rules in the world. Currently over halfway through season 2 and it's maybe starting to embrace that it's a fantasy show, not a sci-fi - I'm hoping that means it might get better as it goes in a completely different direction. But I'm not holding my breath.
12 Monkeys movie: Re-watched to remind myself of what I was missing. If you want to watch it purely as a time-travel movie, then it's one of the few good ones, with a consistent plot that makes sense. When watching it in this light, I like that they aren't trying to go back and change things - look at what's in front of you and find solutions to fixing the present. Don't get lost in the past wishing things had been different. If you want to watch it and think about other possible ideas such as madness and unreliable narrators, then it's much, much more interesting than the TV show.
Books
I just finished a book I can't remember title or author name for (great start) - it was just ok but the thing that struck me is that something really triggering happens right at the beginning. It did a really good job of building dread and discomfort, feeling vulnerable and unsafe. It wasn't a horror book, and it reminded me of how horror can be fun with blood and gore or whatever, but can also have none of that, plus no ghosts or demons - one realistic man in a realistic scenario is scary enough, because real life can be scary.
I also read a few Brothers' Grimm stories. I knew they were collected folktales but I was kind of surprised at how many didn't really have a logic to them or had weird endings. The ones I read were truly just collected, not turned into a more interesting narrative. I can't remember any concepts that I was inspired by, but I'm sure some will come up eventually.
Luckily, what I've just started reading I am much more excited about: Black Hands by Martin van Beynen. I listened to the podcast a long time ago and loved it, so also watched the tv show which was alright. The book has been on my wishlist for a while but I didn't know my Dad had a copy! If you don't know, it's about the David/Robin Bain family murder case from Dunedin in the early 90s. It's a very interesting case with kind of bizarre characters.
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