Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mi Job iz Eated my Brane

By Kathleen C...

First... thanks for the kind comments on DH's Valentine's bouquet. He earned major props from me for that gesture. The more so because, although he didn't realize it, the flowers are some of exactly the same kind as we had in the centerpieces at our wedding... exactly one and a half years ago that day.
He's got good instincts, that man has.

Now... about that post title...

I work as a Costume Designer/Shop Manager at a mid-sized university. Have worked in costumes since I graduated with my MFA in 1986 (1987 by the time my thesis was done). I love it. It's creative and exciting and rewarding. It uses both the analytical engineer part of my brain and the creative artist part of my brain. I love the designing and the teaching and the patterning and sewing and the color, texture and feel of costumes. I just love it.

And I usually get quite a reaction from people when I tell them my job. Much of it along the "You can make a living doing/They pay you for that?" vein.
I'm not criticizing that reaction... sometimes I ask myself that same question, amazed at my opportunity to do the work I love.

But it comes with it's downside. The big one being... the hours required as you get into tech and dress, before opening. You're at rehearsal until late and you come in early and you do this for almost a week and by the end of it... you're beat.
We opened our musical last night.
And I'm beat.

And I don't get a break because I'm designing costumes for our next production, the Spring dance concert. One piece of which is going to a competition early... so I'm trying to get the costumes done by this weekend.

So I'm going to be knitting simple things and sewing nothing for myself and writing very little intelligable stuff. With minimal grammar. And, apparently, no spell check.


I will leave you with a picture of my most recent FO... the last one you'll see for a couple of weeks. Maybe the last one *I'll* see for a couple of weeks?

Phiaro Scarf from Knitscene:
Closeup of dropped stitches...

7 comments:

Caroline said...

Kathleen, that is beautiful! That is definitely something you have to bring home with you so I can see it in person. Take care of yourself during this big push at work.

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous scarf!

How lucky you are to have a job that you love (even if it does eat your brain sometimes)and where you can use your creativity! I'm a Tax Assessor - no room for creativity there :)

Summerset said...

That scarf is just beautiful. You have my dream job! I know there are really tough weeks right before productions, but it doesn't last forever and the ability to create and meet all the needs of a production is fascinating.

Anonymous said...

OMG, that's so beautiful. I loved it when you started working on it here, but it's even prettier than I thought it would be. Wish I could have seen the drop stitch process. Mom

Toni said...

Ah--I used to work for charities & went through the same thing before events, though I didn't ever have a passion for it.

I knitted a lot of plain socks & watched Disney films to unwind when it got really stressful. Probably a good thing I hadn't discovered chocolate martinis yet.....:)

Hang in there!!!!!

Unknown said...

Wow! That scarf is beautiful. I want to thank you for all your wonderful comments on my blog. I would email you directly rather than hijack your blog - but I can't find an email. Anyway - thank you again. g

KT said...

Great scarf! Gotta love the feast or famine of theater work - you're either busy as hell or have nothing to do! And yes, I am often surprised that I get paid to do the work I do, too!

Thanks for the comment on the blog - it is amazing to me that now I have a family here that has nothing to do with work. I feel so lucky to have them in my life now. Last night, one of the parents who sees me regularly saw me staying for FIGHT and asked if I did that class, too. Anticipating the normal "you're crazy" reaction, I said "Yes, I know, I'm insane." She had my favorite reply yet - "I wouldn't consider it insane. I would consider it passion. You obviously love what you do!"