playlists: by mchen {& a giveaway, too!}

i just love a great playlist. i think it stems back to those glorious mixed tapes days where i'd either make, sometimes receive and always always covet a fabulous collection of tunes by various great artists! for me, a personal playlist is a magical grouping of songs. *bliss!* ... so i've asked some wonderful artists if they'd make up a little playlist on a theme for this new rikrak studio series. i thought we might get a glimpse into what musically inspires these fabulous folks... i'm thrilled to present the first: playlists with mchen: songs to howl along to!

mixed tape pouch by BraveMoonman

ever meet someone and feel instantly musically kindred!?
i'm fortunate to say that about mchen... she's golden! & i first came to know her thru her wonderful love & support of live music...

let's start with her delightful playlist (just click the titles to hear!):

dj: mchen of mchenwears
playlist: songs i love to belt out - loudly!

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1. Light of the Moon by Joel Plaskett
2. Deep Red Bells by Neko Case
3. Rhythm & Blues Alibi by Gomez
4. Oh, Alberta by Elliott Brood
5. I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues by Elton John (guilty pleasure)
6. Robots by Dan Mangan
7. See You on the Moon by Great Lake Swimmers
8. Winter by Tori Amos
9. One Two Three Four by Feist (also the Sesame Street version)
10. Black Boys on Mopeds by Sinead O'Connor
11. Shelter by Ray Lamontagne
12. Don't Be So Mean Jellybean by Justin Rutledge

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"I'm a music-head. I love going to live shows, hearing new tunes, witty lyrics, and finding songs that I can relate to. My brain ties memories to music strongly; I often relate songs to specific moments in time or people. I often turn to music, whether I need a pick-me-up, a calm-me-down, a distraction, or good company.

While compiling this, I realized I like belting out slow tunes. It's these kinds of songs I play while doing illustrations: moving enough to keep the creative juices flowing but calm enough for me to keep the pen steady!
Maybe one day, I can give you my go-go-go silkscreening playlist :)"

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thanks so much, nicey!

i've gotta tell you.. Emily Chen of mchen is one fabulous soul! we started to get to *know* of one another thru twittering this year, and i soon came to adore her lovely blog. i noticed that her fabulous posts would often include a musician i myself adored, or one that she would introduce me to that i would shortly LOVE! isn't that a wonderful thing!

as the merriment of life would have, it was soon discovered that not only did we live in the same city, love lots of the same music, but that we lived... that's right, on the SAME street! we soon met for a delightful teaparty, and as the afternoon slipped by, i was smitten! what a genuine, real life sweetie mchen is! i've gotta say... she's really really wonderful.

i just adore her kind heart, fun personality & artistic brilliance! and super excitingly - she's just launched her newest line of handmade silkscreened shirts: the re{verb} line! so be sure to visit her wonderful shop and check them out for yourselves! and she now has adorable kids wear, too! woohoo! i've seen the shirts first hand and they're gorgeous!

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and... for even more fun...
AN MCHEN GIVEAWAY!!
emily has kindly offered to give
ONE lucky rikrak studio blog reader
their choice of ANY mchen tshirt in her shop! WOW! so fun!!!

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so here's how it works:

1. there will be 2 possible entries per person.
a) one entry: leave a comment in this post with a link to your favourite item from mchen's gorgeous shop. www.mchen.etsy.com

b) 2nd entry: leave a comment in this post with a song YOU'D have on your own playlist of songs to howl along to. what song do you love to belt out & sing?

2. please leave each entry as it's own individual comment.

3. i will draw one winner via random.org on tuesday may 26th @ 9pm EST.
please make sure i can contact you thru your comment post.

thanks so much! and happy singing-along-to!

{ps: i'll be drawing the winner of my OTHER giveaway tomorrow (friday) evening..
there's still time to enter that giveaway, too!}

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greatest hits: by ouou

what inspires you artistically & creatively? what would those inspirations look like visually? in this fun series, (please see the others here) ... i’ve invited some wonderful artists to share with us 4 images of inspiration in their artistic life, something of an interview in images! the guidelines were basically this: choose 4 visuals (something like your creative-stimuli *greatest hits!*) that you feel most inspires & expresses your art or craft today. for some, it might be a person, place or thing; a material; a pattern; a colour; a sound or song, etc. it might be a photograph, a drawing, a scan, etc. i’ve tried to leave it a bit open-ended so that we might better glimpse into these artists' motivations and their amazing, raw talent! today i’m delighted to present the next in the series: greatest hits!

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i just love things adorable. things that are beautiful, linear and that captivate my imagination and inspire me with colour & design. so you can well imagine my delight with the glorious, sweet artwork of Laurie, artist behind the amazing shop * ouou * .

i glimpse @ her pen & ink works, gocco creations & silkscreening marvels and i'm transported to somewhere thoughtful, sweet, adorable and whimsical. what a great talent that is! i'm honoured to own some of Laurie's beautiful work, and visitors to our home always comment on her enchanting style & captivating artwork. be sure to visit her lovely lovely shop here, and her wonderful blog, too.

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and now...here's a glimpse into what's inspiring Laurie, in her own words, with her own lovely photos:

Nature:

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are already starting to see hints of spring with crocuses, daffodils, snow drops and the deepening of our evergreen moss. No matter where I have lived, though, nature and plants and trees most especially have always had a way of making the words-words-words in my head melt away and my heart fill with joy. It is in those moments when inspiration feels infinite.

Netsuke:These Japanese figures are such perfect little forms. My first love in design was Art Nouveau, no wonder these curving, detailed, often strange statues catch my imagination and wonderment. I find myself pouring through images of them or seeking them out in museums time and time again.

The Library:
I have a background in independent book selling and children's book illustration, so "books books books" are an obvious choice for my list. The library, in particular, is where I hope to stumble upon the unexpected, or spend hours sketching, nestled into a corner with a pile of tomes stacked around me.


Surprise:
Oh those moments!

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thanks so much, ouou!
and have a sweet sweet weekend, lovelies!
join me all next week for earth day celebrations, 3 (count 'em, 3!) great little giveaways,
and more!

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