Tag: Suzanne Skaar

Jet City Comic Show

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Photograph: (Child dressed as) Batwoman on swing. Suzanne Skaar. 2019. All rights reserved. (Photo shared with Batwoman’s permission.)

It’s official: I’ll be moderating a panel for Tacoma’s Jet City Comic Show!

Panelists Alease Frieson, Anna Nepomuceno, Naarah McDonald, and Stephanie Anne Johnson are on board to discuss the topic “Making Space: Accessibility and Diversity in Geek Culture.” We’ll talk about the importance of making space for diverse content creators, new narratives, and a wider range of characters, as well as how to create accessible and welcoming environments.

Mark your calendars:

11 a.m., Saturday, October 26, 2019

Greater Tacoma Convention Center, Room 405

 

Tickets are available at http://www.jetcitycomicshow.com/ and at the door.

 

See you there!

 

Suzanne

Drunken Discourse Recap

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ 1 Comment
Pre-show.
The venue: Kelly’s Olympian.

This weekend I traveled to Portland to participate in a monthly panel discussion, Drunken Discourse. I was invited by the host, Kyle Curtis, who read some of my work and gave me the opportunity to present my newest research project entitled: “Controlling the Narrative: Gatekeepers, Secret Societies, and Good Ol’ Boys Networks.” My best friend since high school accompanied me on the train ride down, and one of my first and favorite friends, my cousin, met us at the venue just as the event was starting.

I was able to take a brief break and join them at their table in between participating in the on-stage “get to know your panelists” conversation and actually giving my presentation. This is how the off-stage conversation started:

 

Cousin: Is she drunk yet?

Me: No.

Friend: No.

Cousin: Should we fix this?

Me: No.

Friend: Yes.

 

As I stated in my presentation, I have done editing and design work for a Tacoma based Drunk History presentation in the past (uncredited) – obviously this is the type of work I didn’t do while inebriated or in public.

Leading up to the event, I announced on several occasions that I was bringing my friend as my designated drinker.

I was honestly not going to have even one drink.

I failed in this endeavor.

I reportedly still rocked my presentation — even with not getting the clicker thingy, aka “slide navigator,” to work initially, and then later accidentally killing the entire slide show. Thank goodness for producers like Megan Taylor of Manic Esoteric Productions for straightening that out without me having to interrupt my presentation to ask. Those present had the great fortune to listen to Juan Coronell’s, Narendran Muralidharan’s, and Bill Hernandez’s talks ranging from sweet (“Embrace Change”) to hysterical. Narendran’s “Conservative Immigrant” had us dying; his timing was dead on.

Saturday night (and Sunday morning) did reconfirm the following for me: there are consequences to giving into peer pressure. Something about trying to be a responsible adult, the chronic sleep deprivation that accompanies parenthood (I had two hours of sleep Friday night), and missing a gallbladder has weakened my tolerance for vodka. But this weekend also reminded me of the power of hanging out with strong, intelligent, positive, and supportive women. I am extremely lucky in this regard.

I am looking to publish the longer written version as soon as possible, and I can also be available to repeat this presentation sober (the audience doesn’t have to be). Feel free to contact me at nominestudios@gmail.com.

Cheers!

 

Suzanne

Edited February 2020: The producers regretfully informed me that a lot of footage from the Fall was damaged and unrecoverable. Unfortunately, this did not just impact footage of my presentation. My liver declined the invitation to do this particular Portland event again, but I am still more than happy to present this topic at other forums.

News

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It’s time once again for the “oh wait, I’ve been working on everyone else’s projects what about my own website I should really do something about that” redesign. Please bear with me as some links may need to be re-set.

Thanks to a fun year of health issues, from bilateral hand arthritis to glaucoma to chronic migraines and finally getting to experience my first biopsy sans sedation (0 stars, do not recommend), I have been a little preoccupied. It hasn’t been all bad; even the “bad” has provided some great comedy material.  I presented for the first time on a panel at Seattle’s GeekGirl Con in 2018 and ran for office. The latter did not go as planned, but it allowed me to address my concerns regarding equity and access in Pierce County. I also left a three-year long career in vocational rehabilitation services, and I’m figuring out next steps.

Fortunately, I have several projects in the work. I am still heavily involved in my community. I have been focused on helping Tacoma’s South End Neighborhood Council undergo some overdue changes in term of outreach, website, social media, and neighborhood engagement. I’m currently working on a historical research project, which will be presented at Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino’s April 2019 Tripod Series. I’m getting caught up on editing and uploading photos from the past year. And as I have received several requests to help on various political and social justice campaigns, I am once again offering my services as a paid consultant. Other projects will be announced as dates and details are confirmed.

Thank you for your continued support of my work.

 

Cheers!

 

Suzanne

 

Literally, New Gear.

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New Work available at No Mine! Studios Redbubble Shop.

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“Gear.” Gray. Sticker. Digital Illustration. S. Skaar.
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“Gear.” Gray. T-shirt. Digital Illustration. S. Skaar.
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“Gear.” Black. T-shirt. Digital Illustration. S. Skaar.
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“Gear.” Black on White. Totebag. Digital Illustration. S. Skaar.
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“Gear.” Black. Sticker. Digital Illustration. S. Skaar.

More color combos coming soon.

Cheers!

Suzanne

No Mine! Studios

Happy New Year.

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2015 was jam-packed, and did not progress at all as I predicted it would. I ran for office on a well-developed social justice platform with $150, went to Africa, learned some Swahili and Nyakusa, watched my daughter’s language and social skills blossom, made new friends, developed my shop, started the wheels turning for a new media platform, stood up for myself and others, recently began looking at new career opportunities, was made Second Vice-Chair of the City of Tacoma Human Rights Commission, and am finishing the year with pneumonia and maybe malaria, too. I’m finding lessons even in the setbacks. For example, it probably shouldn’t take fluid in the lungs to make me take a break, but it seems like I have to learn this lesson every year.

I have been inspired by many friends whose work improves communities around the globe. In addition to illustrations of dinosaurs and a flailing Moped Guy, I plan to tell somewhat more serious stories in the coming year through writing and podcasting. I’ll share links as new projects are completed. As always, if you would like to collaborate, drop me a line at nominestudios [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Thank you for your support. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a Happy New Year. Make 2016 count.

Cheers,

Suzanne

No Mine! Studios

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Indie Gogo Pitch Pic
Artist with daughter, Isobel. 2015. Tacoma.

Crafty Like That

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For a long time, I let the imaginary divide between “real art” and “craft” steer me away from fabric arts and into painting. While I enjoy painting a lot, I’m ashamed at how old I was before realizing how inherently sexist this classification is.

The work that other artists have mastered for the sake of beautifying their homes and the lives of their families is no less challenging or “real”. I underestimated how hard it was as a new mother, and dove headfirst into sewing projects. Between grad school and a new child, I didn’t have the time or energy to master the basic steps before tackling her first Halloween costume. As Trick-or-Treaters arrived at the door, I was still trying to attach a furry green tail to the back of an unlined vest, disappointed that I wasn’t capable of doing more.

Izzy's first Halloween costume. I'm sorry, kid.
Izzy’s first Halloween costume. I’m sorry, kid.

After I graduated and no longer could depend on daycare to help out, the demands of cleaning up after a 15-month-old, cooking everything from scratch, and freaking out over typical childhood injuries pushed my artistic practice in a digital direction. {It’s a lot harder for a kid to hurt themselves using the items in Photoshop than any of the items typically found in an artist studio. My head hurts at the memory of all the aerosol I used to make “real art.”}

Thinking back on the amount of spraypaint used for this half-finished piece, I now get why I didn't finish it.
Thinking back on the amount of spraypaint used for this half-finished piece, I now get why I didn’t finish it.

By focusing on making art for public consumption versus private enjoyment, we can often lose sight of taking on even more challenging tasks. Pleasing the ever-changing tastes of a three-year-old is an excellent multi-purpose exercise: speed, flexibility, creativity, and humor come back into the artistic practice, and can only improve future projects.

With the goal of once again working for my favorite client, I picked up the needle and thread yesterday. I drew out patterns on felt, solicited input, and made something that arguably could have been bought in the cat section at Pet Smart for 1/20th of the cost in terms of labor and supplies.

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Despite its shortcomings, Isobel received it happily. She watched me while I worked to see what goes into making projects from scratch. The process is just as important as the product. I’m starting smaller and building my skills up again in a new medium, and my daughter is learning that we all have to start somewhere.