Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Dummy Weekend 2013

The cabin we stayed in was wonderful.
I just came back from a wonderful creative retreat in Big Bear, California.  Thanks, Erin O'Shea, for the invite!

Friday was all sunshine.  I had a moment of panic when the road turned extremely narrow up the mountain.  Cars continued to zoom pass mine, as if plummeting 5000ft down a mountain was no big deal.  Nevertheless, I arrived safe and sound.  Let the work began!  Let the fun began!  Let the work be more fun than fun!

That night, we shared in the living room our goals for the long weekend.  My personal goal is to complete a couple pieces for my dummy on a piglets story, and to wrap up my dummy on an elephant story.

I wanted to bring a couple pieces into finals for my piglets story.

We woke early (relatively) to make breakfast and dived straight into work.  As illustrators, we tend to be very lonely creatures, working like hermits locked inside our studio caves.  But this way of working was fantastic.  There was no computer to distract me, and because everyone was working, the peer pressure was ON!  I was very focused and was able to get things done very quickly.  High fives!

Everyone at work mode!
Piglets final piece 1
Piglets final piece 2

That was the dynamic of the weekend: Prepare for food, eat, BACK TO WORK.  Repeat for lunch and dinner.  Critiques at night.  Chill.  Smores.  Goodnight moon.

Did I mention snow started dumping Sunday night?  We had FUN in the snow!  Being kidults are the best!

(From left to right: Rodolfo Montalvo, Renée Montalvo, Julia Shahin Collard, Talia Wabnig, Maple Lam, Erin O'Shea).  Photo courtesy of Rodolfo Montalvo.

Came Monday morning and it was time to say goodbye.  None of the kidults brought snow chains, so the icy-road condition made us go "ugggghhhh.... help.... stuuuuccckkk...."  Lucky for us, the sun rose bright and shinny, and we were able to go down the mountain via the long route.

"Snow blanket on my car!!!" exclaimed the SoCal kidult.

And now I am back, refreshed and charged.  Thank you again, dear illustrators and storytellers whom I have met during Dummy Weekend.  You guys rock!

Illustrators at Dummy Weekend:
Erin O'Shea
Rodolfo Montalvo
Renée Montalvo
Jennifer Gray Olson
Julia Shahin Collard
Talia Wabnig
and me, Maple Lam~

4 comments:

Elizabeth Rose Stanton said...

Looks like it was a blast! And your piglets are adorable!

Maple Lam said...

Thank you for your kind comment, Elizabeth~! :)

Julia Moraes said...

It sounds like an AMAZING and inspiring weekend, Mapes!!!
I just wish those piglets were real cause I really feel like hugging them till I die! Sooooooo beautiful!
beijos,
Julia.

Maple Lam said...

Thanks Julia~ The weekend was really AMAZING~! :)