A very groovy pom-pom mutation

[st_aurafina]

It's so cold I had to make myself a beanie. It's perfectly made to fit my melon-sized head and it has a huge pom-pom. It makes me feel tall. And the yarn is variegated, so the pom-pom has a big splash of red in an otherwise blue-green ball. lilacsigil said it has heterochromia, which, as Charles Xavier has taught us, is a very groovy mutation.

The downside of having a very groovy hat is dodging that never-ending thing when you make stuff, the "You could sell those and make money!" discussion. I could sell them. I'd blow out my thumb tendons trying to make a profit, and I don't want to do that. So it's not going to happen. I make stuff because I love making stuff. If I give you something, it's because I think fondly of you. Argh, why is this so hard to understand?

Also, all the makers on my flist: you are heroes, and I wish that your heroism was recognised, because I'm sure it's not, to the degree that it should be.

I'm having a bad time, mood wise. Thank goodness for fidget cubes, rubber bands and pink wine. Hopefully it's just the leftovers from the family birthday season (last one is today, thank goodness.) In the meantime, I am very tetchy, and only want to wear my beanie and watch Person of Interest. There are worse things to happen on mood swings, I know.

Adult things I have done: been to the dentist for a checkup. Updated my prescriptions at the doctor. Had a haircut. Made plans to go to Melbourne to see lilacsigil's family. Planted more lettuce.

Things I want to talk about but do not have the brain: Riverdale, American Gods (holy shit, Gillian Anderson!), icon making (cos I've been making a few, this post is kind of a GIP), recipes, Agents of Shield, Supergirl, yarn. Sense8. Twin Peaks (omg Twin Peaks!) The Star Trek: Discovery trailer, or as I saw it referred to: Star Trek: Disco Very.

Things I am actually going to talk about instead because it's easier: linkspams.

- via miss_s_b, lewis_and_quark_feed is the feed for a science blogger who works with neural networks. (You know those lists? Hobbit names as generated by a neural network, etc? Or, as I recently saw, The neural network writes the episode list for next season’s Dr. Who. The Daleks of the Daleks. Would watch.)

- via chinashop, nanodownunder, or, a NaNo-style writing challenge for the southern hemisphere's winter. (Because in traditional NaNo, we're sweltering or on fire.) Not just for the Antipodean writer. For anyone. Kicking off for June - a locked comm for writers wanting to set themselves a deadline.

- Something I came across messing around on Twitter but don't know from where it came: Audio dramas sorted by genre

- something I have open all the time when I'm writing Harold Finch: a massive chart of birds of North America

- via dunmurderin, Bingo card generator.

- via misbegotten, The Definition Of Hell For Each Myers-Briggs Personality Type (because I can never get enough random MBPT stuff.)

- Boing Boing link: Crashed computer at Oslo pizzeria reveals covert facial recognition scheme (From deep within the Person of Interest gravity well where I live right now, I have to say this is some scary Samaritan-level stuff.)

- So you know that we really know how to live it up in the country, there was a local button festival: Button up for a colourful display at Buttonfest. (And the local paper didn't miss a beat when titling that article.) I love buttons. I could so become one of those button collectors. It scares me a little, because I don't have room for a hobby like that.

- Rare Photos of Frida Kahlo as a Young Woman in the 1920s. So amazing!

- Okay, I do have one American Gods link, via forests_of_fire, so you can watch it over and over like I have, American Gods Teaser Shows Gillian Anderson As [deleted for spoilers but go watch, it's amazing] (Spoilers for Episode Five, obviously.)

- last link! Japanese Woman Spotted Wearing Heels That Look Exactly Like Pigeons. Because she was worried about the welfare of the pigeons she was walking past. (Because, apparently, she didn't know that they would tear her to pieces in a minute if their life depended on it. Pigeons are survivors.)

Okay. Prayer circle for my brain weasels. And for my wipbigbang, which currently lies disassembled on my screen and I'm not sure how to put it together.

Comments

[author_by_night]

People love saying you can do your hobbies for money. It works for some people, but not everyone!

[st_aurafina]

I have nothing but respect for people who make their hobbies pay, but I know enough to recognise that I'm not one of them. My job pays for my hobbies, and my hobbies are for fun.

[misbegotten]

If I give you something, it's because I think fondly of you. Argh, why is this so hard to understand?

I get this. I am all thumbs when it comes to making things, but I do give stuff to people because I am fond of them (perhaps too frequently). I remember one time when I was a kid, we were on vacation and I bought a present for someone and my father actually yelled at me for spending my pocket money on a gift for someone else rather than a souvenir for myself. Dad's priorities were always a little skewed, but let's just say that when I give people stuff, I sometimes feel like I'm about to get in trouble.

I am babbling in your journal about My Issues. Here, have an American Gods link: AG Characters Ranked By How Weirdly Intriguing They Are.

[st_aurafina]

Ugh, that is so messed up on your dad's part. I hope you ruthlessly buy whatever you want now you're a grown-up.

Oh, that link is great, thank you - I want to babble on about all the things but I don't want to be spoilery. But it's a great adaptation, and that Bowie scene is going to be with me forever.

[james]

Yay pom-poms! They make every hat better.

[st_aurafina]

Don't they just? So very cheering.

[gokuma]

How about making just customized hats? You'd have slightly less clients but you could charge them higher, plus there would be some variety in things you'd be making.

One must-see addition to your linkspam: http://akireyta.tumblr.com/post/161142252463/arrghigiveup-excuse-me-while-i-die-of-laughter

[st_aurafina]

Well, it's not really a question of how I could sell my stuff, so much as why won't people accept that I don't want to? I just plain old want to enjoy my hobby, which is why it's my hobby and not my small business opportunity. I don't understand people who won't take no for an answer on this - is it because they want to profit off their hobbies? It's very confusing.

[gokuma]

Oh, I see. That can be annoying. In my opinion you need hobbies that are just "for you" - so you could enjoy them without thinking (even subconsciously) who wanted want and how much should I charge for that. I understand your point better now. I hope people will stop bugging you about that

[copracat]

Those Frida Kahlo photographs are amazing and wonderful.

[st_aurafina]

Yeah, they're pretty amazing, and so strange to see unguarded expressions on her face.

[musesfool]

The downside of having a very groovy hat is dodging that never-ending thing when you make stuff, the "You could sell those and make money!" discussion.

oh my gosh, yes. Like, if I were doing it for money, it wouldn't be fun for very long! Just shut up and eat the cake / wear the lip balm!

[st_aurafina]

Yes, damn it, why is this so hard for people? Do they not have hobbies of their own? It's the only explanation I can think of, that they don't do things just for the fun of it.

Ugh, take the damn pompom hat and stfu. /is gracious as fuck about gifts.

[neotoma]

Very few people actually want to pay for a handknit hat if they have to pay living wages, I've found. Some people don't even want to cover your yarn costs -- I've heard "I could buy that at a store!" more than enough times, and they're always wrong. They could buy a hat at the store, probably knit flat on a machine and sewn together, and out of acrylic or at best a wool blend. It's not the same thing at all.

Hmmm... American Gods has really made me happy. I'm actually looking forward to a tv show for a change!

[st_aurafina]

I can see how it could be made profitable, but there's no way I'm putting that legwork into my enjoyable hobby - it would very soon become not at all enjoyable. I guess they mean it as a compliment, but it's not. /cranky.

[lurkingcat]

The downside of having a very groovy hat is dodging that never-ending thing when you make stuff, the "You could sell those and make money!" discussion.

I still don't get why so many people think that everything should have a monetary aim. Sometimes you make things just because you enjoy making things and sometimes you write just because you enjoy writing things for yourself. Neither of those has to be a career path.

[st_aurafina]

Right? It does seem strange that this is hard for people to understand. Plus, if I were to make a business of it, I'd have to talk to soooo many people, and that is definitely not fun.

[vass]

I blame capitalism. It ruins everything, even those people's ability to give a compliment.

I could sell them. I'd blow out my thumb tendons trying to make a profit, and I don't want to do that. So it's not going to happen. I make stuff because I love making stuff.

Not to mention, do you love running a small business? Do you love marketing yourself? Even adamantium tendons wouldn't help with that. And by crocheting as a hobby and not trying to make money you get to not do those parts.

Your pompom sounds like Jupiter. Does it look like Jupiter?

I love those neural network posts. So great.

something I have open all the time when I'm writing Harold Finch: a massive chart of birds of North America

All of a sudden, I'm thinking about Harold Finch Down Under. It'd be a lot harder to keep it subtle.

Harold Currawong. Harold Lyrebird. Major Harold Mitchell.

*joins prayer circle for your brain weasels and WIP big bang* (if enough people pray, do you think your brain weasels would finish it for you?)

[fred_mouse]

Major Harold Mitchell

I like that one - very clever!

[st_aurafina]

Not to mention, do you love running a small business?
I really admire the people who do small craft business well - all the social media, all the self-promotion, the networking, the product placements. It's a huge big deal. I'm never doing that.


Harold Currawong. Harold Lyrebird. Major Harold Mitchell.
Gosh, this is a fun game! Harold Fairy-Penguin. Harold Emu. Harold Murderbird. (John likes that last one.)


This is the pom in question:

Not very Jupiter like, but pretty. I do think a Jupiter pom would be gorgeous, though.

[vass]

Very pretty. A planet version of your pompom would also be gorgeous. (Have you thought of going into terraforming? While you're being advised to take up impractical new jobs?)

Gosh, this is a fun game! Harold Fairy-Penguin. Harold Emu. Harold Murderbird. (John likes that last one.)

Harold Wagtail. Harold Kookaburra. After which we get into parrots and related species... Harold Corella. Harold Lorikeet. Harold Budgerigar.

[thisbluespirit]

Heh, I know, it's annoying! It's part compliment, though - they don't always mean you should sell them (although some definitely do), I think with some people it's partly telling you that it's that good.

I'm praying that the exterminators are brought in to deal with your brain weasels. (Humanely, of course.) Good luck!

Also, your icons are lovely, and I've been really enjoying finding some active small-challenge icon comms around here to play in. It's lovely and reminds me to expand a bit in what I do. (Although I still like NICE CLEAR BRIGHT icons best. Heh.)

[st_aurafina]

I get the compliment thing, definitely, but I don't think anyone who has suggested selling things has any idea what would be involved to make it worthwhile. And ugh, so much networking, when all I want to do is hide in the corner and crochet. Not for me at all.

(Although I still like NICE CLEAR BRIGHT icons best. Heh.)

ME TOO! I usually strip off the frou-frou before I upload any of the icons I've made for a contest - I very much prefer a clever crop and some nice colouring. But that's not really okay for an icontest, I guess. I have to be fancy!

[thisbluespirit]

Indeed! I mean, it's unrealistic. Mind, my family quite like indulging in the fantasy where we sell things we make, but then we know it's really a fantasy. (When my middle sis was having terrible job troubles we came up with a lot of fantasy alternatives, like a wardrobe advisory business, cupcake making (possibly with small dairy-free cafe attached), & buying old furniture and doing it up, but she didn't actually try any of them, funnily enough! Some people, of course, don't realise they're fantasists...

ME TOO! I usually strip off the frou-frou before I upload any of the icons I've made for a contest - I very much prefer a clever crop and some nice colouring.

:-D I can't abide stuff where people make it dark and grainy or apply anything like a paint filter - I work with 1970s screencaps half the time! My entire aim is to clean them up as prettily as I can and my fingers start itching at the sight of 'spoiled' modern caps. (I get the same with filters on fanvids.)

[clare_dragonfly]

I love the Myers-Briggs hell article. Most of them made me go "yeah, that would be unpleasant," except for INTJ, which made me wince; INFJ, which made me want to curl up in a ball of horror (that's what I usually test as, though I'm close on the T/F spectrum); and INTP, my husband's type, which made me laugh at how much that would drive him crazy.

[monanotlisa]

Prayer circle for your brain, a'ight!

[adafrog]

Star Trek: Disco Very
lolol

I'm afraid to read the Meyers Briggs thing. eek! Oh man, disappointing. With the picture of lava I thought it was going to be something good, like being stuck in a party having to make small talk the rest of my life. aaaiiieeeee!!!

[umadoshi]

Good luck with fending off the brain weasels and with the words coming together! *hugs*

[china_shop]

This Meyers Briggs things would make awesome fic prompts... I may have to suggest them to my fan_flashworks co-mod. *g*

[st_aurafina]

Oh, yes, that's a great idea! You're clever!

[springviolets]

something i saw advice about when i was considering my business was: be careful about making a hobby a job, because it won't be a hobby anymore. and that sounds like "DUH" but it really does change the dynamic of doing something you like and people don't realize that! also yeah, the whole "actual business administration" part.

that said, you could choose to offer one-off word-of-mouth customs here and there versus making it an actual business. but people are under no obligation to produce for profit :)

[batmarg]

I am very tetchy, and only want to wear my beanie and watch Person of Interest.
Too hot for beanies here, but otherwise I'm totally with you.

On the fun things you have no brain for atm: Riverdale (awesome and I'm one ep away from being caught up), American Gods (I havent started yet, but Gillian gives me extra motivation), & Twin Peaks (I'm the loser who still hasn't seen s2 yet. Rewatching s1 before I do that and omg so good)

Your audio drama link is v appreciated.

[st_aurafina]

Raaah, why are people so... like people??

Riverdale was so unexpectedly good! I didn't think I was the target audience for a teenage soap, but it was really riveting.

I'm the loser who still hasn't seen s2 yet.
Honestly though, just watch the last episode of S2. It will be enough. There's a lot of baaaad stuff in S2. (Although you will miss out on seeing David Duchovny playing Denise. That is one awesome thing.)

[eglantiere]

wow, a hat! this is so awesome. i don't get the 'if you do a thing you must be making and selling things' idea too, but purely having an ability to want hat = make hat: AWESOME. go you :D

[st_aurafina]

Hee! It's true - seeing the pattern and making it happen was kind of magical. Yay!

[untonuggan]

AH YES THE WHY DO YOU NOT JUST MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR KNITTING CONVERSATION

sometimes I take passive aggressive revenge by sharing a history of the Luddite movement and early labor history and how industrialization basically made that really hard to do. (never mind that it's really hard to do and maintain creative juices.)

person: why don't you make money with your knitting?
me: WHAT AN INTERESTING THOUGHT. actually do you know the origin of the term "spinster" and how it relates to the modern labor rights movement?
person: uhh...
me: LET ME TELL YOU, FRIEND

either we have a great nerd conversation about history, or they edge away slowly and stop bringing up the whole "knitting as a thing I should do for money" thing.

[st_aurafina]

person: why don't you make money with your knitting?
me: WHAT AN INTERESTING THOUGHT. actually do you know the origin of the term "spinster" and how it relates to the modern labor rights movement?
person: uhh...
me: LET ME TELL YOU, FRIEND

Precious bb, I cannot fully express how much I love you for this. This is a most beautiful and graceful weapon and I shall be using it as much as possible. Maybe with random people in the street, IDK.

[untonuggan]

You're welcome! I shall cackle a little, inside, knowing that I have spread this to your side of the globe and that you are deploying it as needed.

[seeksadventure]

Prayer circle and all the good thoughts!

I am so impressed by people who make things, and by people who make things and sell things. I don't know that I'll be able to do it for anything but writing. We will see.

[st_aurafina]

I'm impressed by people who make things and sell them, because it's really hard! So much harder than making things for fun and entertainment.

[tinny]

the "You could sell those and make money!" discussion

Ha, yes. I think most of us know that one - why do you write fanfic, don't you want to become a "real" author? /o\

Ummm.... no. :D

Adult things I have done

Tons... yay! I feel like I am not doing any of those. *sigh*

icon making (cos I've been making a few, this post is kind of a GIP)

Yay, it's great to have you at icontalking. Iconmaking is fun, and I'm glad there's such a nice group of people on DW who enjoy it, too.

Lol'ed at the Myers-Briggs hells. A lot of those are indeed hellish, and accurately so. :D

[st_aurafina]

I am enjoying icontalking! And icon_that! It's good to be getting back into making icons, though I feel like I have a lot to catch up on. And maybe I need to change programs or something because mine is old and creaky.