Mastodon - Sleeping Giant

Jyväskylä City Theatre

After a total crash of my c:ter I've finally managed to get it some what together again. I also purchased a laptop as my secondary c:ter - when the next catastrophe hits at least I'm able to do something with it. Except: I couldn't install my Creative Suite even though I should have enough RAM. Luckily I also have Photoshop CS as a separate purchase and could install that one. Dreamweaver and flash are also already installed and I've tested that the web connections work and all. So... Hopefully I can stop myself from working during the xmas holidays - little bit of workholicing here.

I've had my hands full of jobs. During the last few weeks I've made layouts for Väri07 (colour competition for architects and such) and some layouts for Savi-M (ceramic artist). I've had a meeting with dancers about their website, meetings with Sirkka at the Theatre of Jyväskylä about the content of their site (the site was actually published Dec18; though not quite as I had been planned - there's still some layout fixing to do), a meeting in Jyväskylä Art Museum about their future site and a meeting with Maija and all stuff for her web site is soon collected.
I've also designed a xmas image to screen in the window of The Jyväskylä Art Museum (I'll make that one to the ecard also) and some christmas cards to some museums and some firms.

And here's mine: for those who aren't yet feeling the magic of xmas (...*hmph*...) (change it to the xmas mode by moving your mouse upon image) coloria.net/xmas/06 / and to those who already are in christmas mode http://www.coloria.net/xmas/06

Sunshine Underground - Panic Attack

Last Saturday I had one day off - I can't remember the last time... We left to Espoo to see EMMA museum + exhibition. I didn't really expect a lot - just a day without computer and brain activity. But I the video installations by Shirin Neshat did really make an effect. And the famous Black Square (although not really the most original) by Kazimir Malevitsh was not so bad either... :)

I really shouldn't get any day-offs. The last nail on my coffin was last week when my computer broke down. It was away only for about 24 hours but enough to completely mess my time table. So many projects on their way it's hard to even start... Some Live Herring stuff is still unfinished which takes my time a bit but there are a lot of new projects waiting! More about them later... The main thing is - I really like what I'm doing right now...

Today I've used my time mainly to updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, Kirsi Neuvonen's and Riiminka sites.

Oh oh oh, I forgot this one too: skullstation.org has opened (a few months ago) with a temporary site. This is quite far about the layout I had planned but since it takes forever to complete anything in my universe, I just decided to put some stuff there already. No so scully though. Just a few irritating backgrounds downloadable for web pages. I drew them about a year ago and some of the elements have already introduced themselves in this site... The skull station will present some skull related stuff in the future but also my line art graphics + stupid downloadables made just for my own therapy... Eh.

Cat Power - Wild Is The Wind

Iron Maiden – Phantom Of The Opera

Today I made the first book cover suggestion that I'm myself totally pleased with. Let's see what happens.

I can't update any sites on Jyväskylä site (Aalto Museum, Craft Museum, Arctic & Fabulous...) because there's one essential gadget down. So, I'll just have to lurk around for a while.

I got some very positive feedback from Papiina today - funny how some little thing can make you so happy. *-*

A little bit of sleep would do wonders right now. I still have a few sites to update and some Live Herring stuff to do and tomorrow I'll have to wake up early (well, relatively early at least). Slave to the system.

Thom Yorke - Analyse

Today's hc-listing:
* Call about sponsorship for Live Herring breakfasts (no go)
* Call about unknown number that has called at morning. It was the transport services: the Osram DOT its have arrived! We'll get some Osram powered light to our Live Herring exhibition!
* Call about silk screen minimum print txt size
* Sent an offer about netsite for one ceramic firm
* Sent an offer about netsite for one artist
* Mailed to Maija about changing the next date date. (+ later some mails the new date and about the possibility to go to InnoForum)
* Another call about sponsorship for Live Herring breakfasts (maybe; calling back in the beginning of next week)
* Sent request for grant payments for Live Herring to Arts Council
* Mailed to Kirsi about next weeks InnoFoorumi meeting - will she drive me if I can go. Whooo, exciting.
* Some heavy mailing about Live Herring + Arctic & Fabulous press releases
* Received those Osram DOT its! Fantastic!
* Mailed to Vakiopaine Bar about Vadelma Club and to Vadelma people about Vakiopaine Bar. And then to Art museum about screening things in Vadelma Club.
* Mailed to my friend how sorry I am since I didn't find time to meet her today even though I had promised earlier. Feeling a bit sad.
* Made a suggestion for a book cover for Opus
* Some additions to Live Herring site: Arctic & Fabulous logo, press release + some downloadables added.
* Some usual updates - to 15 sites...

...

Life?

Billy Talent II - Pins And Needles

Forgot about this. Lakes Woods Artists is an English site about artists in Central Finland by The Arts Council of Central Finland. The artists will be added to the site monthly. More information at the site soon.

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All my off-work time I have spent with Live Herring. It really takes my time and wear me out a bit but it's soooo nice to see how everything clicks to its place. We have a few sort of major problems but nothing that would ruin the event completely. At least I want to believe so.

I'm having a lot of projects going on right now. Hopefully I'll be able to update this blog a bit more often than what it has been lately. It's nice to just sit down after these hectic times and just scroll down the blog entries - I really don't remember half of the stuff I've made this autumn.

Tilly And The Wall - Sing Songs Along

Arctic & Fabulous now online: www.jyvaskyla.fi/kulttuuri/ngfest. Although it's so largely based on graphic design by Mikael Korpela that I can hardly say it's mine... Well, I copy pasted the words online. *grin*

There's one project that really brings me down. It makes me sad when I notice that I'm hired to be graphic designer but still someone has always something to say... And when the project has too many people saying their opinions... There will be always someone against and some one agreeing and you just can't please everyone. If you start that way there's no stopping.

It's like, I'm not making my graphic design decisions just to tease people, there is reason why there is some air in the designs, around the logo & such. It makes me sick to see my designs rushed into one pile that looks really stupid. And it really doesn't help the readers when all the things are pushed against one another like in an oldfashioned Pravda. Argh.

This really makes me angry. Better to stop before I'll explode. Glad it's all over.

Beta bad - Broke

I was so frustrated last week that I focused all my energy into my blogs. (Yeah, secondary things rules always in ultimate panic). I moved all my blogs to a new beta version and

I also updated some small thingies to periferiadesign.fi site (designer Simo Heikkilä's site - he has an exhibition in Alvar Aalto Museum right now). Basicly soooo small thing but in reality it took me some hours. I had removed the whole site from my hard drive as I though that I wouldn't be the one to update it anymore. I finally found it from one of my very organized (*sigh*) cd's and then I had to make the whole site definitions again. Which of course would be very easy if you had any idea of where all the passwords and such are. Anyway, the small updates are now online (the actual updating took about 10 minutes).

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I've been panicking a bit with Live Herring. Deadlines for brochures was some time ago and I'm still missing things. This year the event has been much easier to organize though. It's not the experience of organizing last year's event (well, propably partly) but mostly about these people - like Heini, Mikael and Soile - who have been organizing with me. I'm tired with the project but quite happy at the same time. And things seem to go well...

Klaxons - Magic

*Sigh*. I just found about twenty work related emails in my draft folder - I thought I had sent them but it must be the broken network thing... One of them being the theatre layout/coding project. I just mailed to one inquire about the project that I've forwarded the files and everything is fine. Well, it wasn't.

One other project that is shading my days is the book cover project - still on its way. I have these ideas that I think are great, but I lack the ability to bring them alive like I see them...

I'm not actually this depressed. I sound more down than I really am. I just lack a bit time.

Cramps - Human Fly

My net Elisa connection kills me. Online/offline/online/offline/offline/offline... The situation changed from critical to catastrophical when I was updating Riiminka site and the connection just suddenly went offline. I'm so bored with this... I phoned to Elisa again and maybe something will happen in this week. Crying silent tears here. And in this doomsday athmosphere - what do I receive? The phone bill from Elisa.

Tomorrow we'll have a Live Herring meeting. The whole project has started slowlier than I planned because of the offline thing - how can I find *good* Scandinavian net art to show or even send email when my net line is dead? I'm starting to build up some stress due to that.

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My brother always sends the strangest links: www.kk.org/streetuse/archives/ 2006/08/ jazz_on_bones_xray_sound_recor_1. php

Magazine - Permafrost

It's getting dark and it's not yet 7pm. And it rains. And less people wear t-shirts than thick jackets. The summer is officially over.

Yesterday it was my first joga session. Today I was wondering what is that strange feeling - related to pain but not really - in my stomach... until I realized that it must be my muscle(?) Uh, I'm really in bad shape.

I had a Creek lunch with Anssi at noon which was really nice after soooo long time. We should meet soon again and discuss about The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring - I've designed a new layout, not ready yet though.

I've done some small projects since I came back home but nothing really big. Actually, I've emailed + phoned a lot. First I mailed to Adobe and asked why I hadn't received my free registration gift as promised. Grrr. Then I phoned to out general manager about some fixing in the wall next to our door. Then I mailed to one critic/reviewer about one Moomin DVD that is practically impossible to find. And then some stuff about Välittämö project - we are ending the project due the lack of our resources.

What I really should do is the dozens of small updates waiting in my email. And I should make some new layouts for Viipuri Library site by the end of the week. Well. I've opened the images + all the other material I have. Almost there.

I'm not really in work-mode but I really should do something. Grrr.

Metallica - Ride The Lightning

I've been a bit tired lately but I hope it's getting easier soon. I've tried to have some free time also but I know I'm still working a bit too hard. It's not the work actually, but all my projects that are pressuring me. I should really give something up. Thinking about it.

Last week I met some people in Jyväskylä City Theatre. I'll make a makeover to the site. All the Jyväskylä City sites will be emblied into a new publishing system, so that will give me some work. Nice. There are also other projects on my to-do-list. A lot of new layouts, that is.

And one fast temporary site: Alvar Aalto Design Seminar 2007 - based largely on the graphic design by Aimo Katajaniemi. So, not any achievement of mine at all. *sigh*
+ The usual updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland + Gallery Becker.

I would sooooo much like to make something mind blowing for a change.

Clash - Magnificent Seven

Days have been so beautiful and warm that everything seems so much easier and lighter than at the beginning of this week. Yesterday I spent some time at the office of The Arts Council of Central Finland (reading dictionary - but that's another story). After just hanging around for a while I left for home but as it felt so good just to be I stopped in Gallery Becker and called Timppa. We went out to eat (in Sohwi). It was pretty much a perfect day.


Today I made an exhibition poster and an invitation to an exhibition for Timppa (+ then the new invitation here). Actually, *we* made. Timppa took largerly part in designing the whole thing - maybe the next ones will be his design from the beginnig to the end. The biggest problem we had was the size of the original photo's of painting. We need A3+ size and their resolution at A4 size is 300dpi. So, for poster purposes there is only about 170dpi availability. Not very good and really makes me a bit anger. But we'll wait and see... The printed stuff will be in our hands next week.

As I'm thinking of starting to print some of Timppa's paintings to posters and postcards, I'll propably will order new photos which are all taken in a proper studios with a right kind of equipment. I'm a bit excited about that plan - to go and do something I really don't have any experience with. Whoooo.

Right now I'm coding Taidemajakka ('Art Light House') project site. I actually just found a few technical solutions to the layout - propably very simple but for me it was like I just invented a wheel. These kind of small thingies give some power to go on...

+ The usual updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland + Gallery Becker.


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edit (a bit later): We'll propably cancel the Välittämö exhibition we have planned to organize. I haven't been really active in this project and I wasn't planning to exhibit anything but still... I'm not disappointed or anything like that but still there is some kind of void feeling. More about the whole project later.

Stereolab - French Disco

Live Herring bubbling under. Next meeting next week but before that still some calls to make and some questions to be asked... Need some money. All the rich people, please, contact us!
Also, Välittämö exhibition is coming up. I'm ashamed of how lazy I've been with that project but I've been rally tired - this one week offline thingie wasn't helping the situation.

As I was offline I managed to develope some kind of overflow with my work - now the situation is finally - slowly - normalizing. There are still some unfinished businesses but I think I'm copeing with them now. Nothing new online though. But soon it will be: last week I finished making the coding of the Taidemajakka ('Art Light House') project site. Content's still missing but at least the groundwork is done. The site should be published on September 2 - I'll get the contents propably tomorrow or on Friday.

I was just making my to-do-list and I noticed that there are too many projects 'almost there'. Like The Arts Council of Central Finland site, which is still missing "panic button" I was planning to put at the front page. When it comes to the other contents still missing - I'm waiting for the material...

Hope of The States - Left

Offline and helpless. I haven't been able to use internet fully since Wednesday last week. I'm starting to be a bit desperate here. Even though I can make most of my work offline, there are a lot of small thingies I have to get to net for - and of course the actual update thing. Right now I'm waiting on phone on online error/help line (whatever) for somebody to shout to. Grrr. *sigh*

Last week I finished a lot of layouts. But somehow my work enthusiasm dropped to zero when I got offline. Ideas are really somewhere else and somehow my concentration is too.

I have made a deal to make one new layout and there are a few more that I'll maybe make in some point. This sort of scares me right now since I'm afraid my creativity doesn't really take me to finish line.

I'll get enourmous phone bill. I'll make a personal bankcrupt. (My personal phone record: 25 minutes and holding...)

Spinal Tap - Stonehenge

I've been getting good feedback about Coloria site. It's so shame that this year has been most devastating with that site: I've done so little updates and even less new stories... It's really starting to annoy me. So I made me a Coloria blog. It was so nice to make something completely different with layout! Unfortunately for non Finnish-speakers, it's only in Finnish. But there are/will be some colour related links and some of them, like in my entry today (about old American colour films) are quite intriguing.

I've actually worked a lot with layouts. Currently I'm making a new layout for The Craft Museum of Finland and first layouts for sculptor Anne Alho. I've finished making layouts for Taidemajakka project but there's some fixing still left to do.

I also was asked to make some sketches for one book layout and I have made some with Photoshop (yes, I have InDesign). Today I opened them to continue my work and noticed that all fonts are missing!? But only for these projects. I can use any font I want in any other project I'm doing. What the h***? Well, I simply haven't got time to worry about this now. I'll send the layouts forward today and wish the best. One thing I have learned this far: I really lack a lot of information about this kind of work and right now I'm having my creativity somewhere hiding.

Need sleep.

+Some regular updates (Alvar Aalto Foundation + Gallery Becker + Papiina + The Craft Museum of Finland)

Justice Vs Simian - We Are Your Friends

Added some images to Timppa's web page today and also made some adjustments with his guestbook.

Some regular updates (Alvar Aalto Foundation+Gallery Becker) and a total brain damage: I left to Alvar Aalto Museum today to return some cd's and to take a pile of some artsy newspapers there - and I totally forgot to took the both newspapers and cds with me. Typical.


Oh, I've forgot about this: renewed look of The creative industries development project has been online for some time now. I totally forgot about that.

The Cramps - Faster Pussycat Kill

A week ago we took a very mentally heavy (in a good way) trip to see some light houses (some images available). It was total holiday time but at the same time... I've been totally in another world since then.

I have some images in my mind to complete into digital artsy thingy I had planned to make out of the trip but right now I'm avoiding Photoshop. For some reason. I'm sort of afraid that I'd spoil the whole imagenary of my mind: there's really no way that I could make better effects / collages that the true world in the islands was. Even though the photos are not so good *I* still remember what it was.

Now I should try to recover and get back to my normal work. Usual updates and some layout designing is waiting. And I try not to think about Live Herring or Gallery Spirited Herring since my brain is starting to be in a melting point.


The *very* renewed The Arts Council of Central Finland site has been online for a few weeks now. Still something to do but you'll get the point. :)

soi | Sound Team - Fastest Man Alive

Still here! It's been so sunny... And PS2 is so fun after all this time. I got JakX for my birthday and started playing it today - but I'm really not that good with driving. I should try it later when I'm more speed oriented than now. I'm so totally frustrated with R&C2 too: I've started from cratch (played actually RC1 through by myself, without almost any help which is non-heard thing). I'm stuck with one flying mission. I've never been that good with those tasks that demand some reaction abilities. I'm just like - wall coming, wall ahead, I'm crushing, BOOOM! Hmph.

It's actually second day of midsummer fest but I'm working. My mission is to clear my inbox of all the work related mail - by doing it all. That way I can finally spend some time with Coloria. Maybe.

New site for The Arts Council of Central Finland almost finished. Soon...

soi | Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers

Our house is so messy right now it even starts to bother me - even though I'm not so hyper neurotic about putting things in their right place. We are beginning to recover after yesterdays catastrophe: our cd shelves went down and hundreds of cd's dropped down. It's propably not so bad as you might think: most of the cds stayed put in their cases and even though many cd cases were broken I don't think that there were so many cd's that went to unusable mode... Well, Marilyn Manson took it quite bad: all cases broken. Blah.

My evil brother introduced me the Spider solitaire (bravo, WiinXP - now I'm hooked and can't get to work). Not that old classics like PP Hammer, James Pond and Woody's World would take less time... Or Ratchet and Clank - I restarted from the very first game, from the very first level...

Quite busy on the work front. I'm re-making the site of The Arts Council of Central Finland. Actually it has been finished for a few months now but since another site connected to that one is not finished... I'm planning to publish it this week anyway. The extra site will be finished then later.

Some very ordinary updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Arts Council of Central Finland and The Craft Museum of Finland.