J.R. Blackwell

Jennifer Rodgers

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:34 GMT

Jennifer Rodgers, genius, charmer, hottie.

Old people love cards. Anyone over 70 wants you to send them a card. A holiday card, a thank you card, whatever - they just want that card.

Sometimes I've wondered, why do old people love cards so much? I mean, you can call them and thank them for whatever they sent you, you wish them a happy holidays in person, but anyone with a grandma knows that's not enough. There has got to be a card and it's gotta come through the mail or you don't love them.

Why is that? It's seems odd and unreasonable. Isn't seeing someone in person better than a card.

No. No it's not. And I'll tell you why.

Now, I can't really tell you how I learned this, or the person I found it out from will get in some pretty serious spiritual shit, but every time an old person gets a card - a personal, from a friend or family member card - they get a deferment from Death.

This is how it works (apparently, this all get's explained to you when you turn 70): You get a card from a friend or family member below 70, and when Death shows up to collect you, you can hand Death the thank you or holiday card, and Death will give you more time on this Earth.

How much time? Well, the individual I spoke to was hazy on this - there is some kind of equation that I don't really understand and it's all about your age, divided by the month and some kind of positioning of the stars, the length of the note in the card - I don't really get it, but whatever the situation, you get get more time. You run out of cards to hand Death, you run out of time.

You can't send a card to another senior to get this benefit, you can't send cards to yourself, and you can't directly demand a card. You can, however, remark about how it's common courtesy to send a card, you can tell other family members that you are mad that you didn't get a card, and you can generally act in a passive aggressive way to get a card, but you can't outright demand one, or it loses it's power.

Which brings me around to Jennifer Rodgers and her online art shop!

Jennifer Rodgers makes greeting cards. And unlike the cards you might find in your local drug store, these cards have personality, have a offbeat charm to them which makes them more unique. I always keep a stash of her "Thank You" notes on hand just in case I need to thank someone for something. (I'm lucky enough in my life that I often do.)

You can look at her charming selection here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JenniferRodgersArt

Send a card. Save a life.

70%

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:22:53 GMT

I am 70% done 70% of the projects on my To-Do list.

At the beginning of the year, I wrote up a huge project list, a project list that I added to often. I finished about 30% of this list and worked on the other 70% until all of those projects were about 70% done. Two photo books, several short stories, a podcast, two articles, websites, one comic script, one role-playing game and the first draft of a novel. All of them, 70% done.

It's getting frustrating. And, of course, I have no one to be frustrated with except myself. It's not anyone else's fault except my own that I haven't actually buckled down and finished these projects. As many of you creative types might know, starting is easy - I've even managed to work past that whole "middle" hump - but now it get's to finishing, and something always comes up.

Here's the general template of how it happens - I'm sure many of you are familiar with this.

1. You start Project A - it's freakin' awesome! You are filled with the joy of the New Idea, and motivated with the delight of new project love.

2. You get to the middle of Project A - self doubt, questioning, boredom - but you persist because you are not a weenie, you can do this!

3. Ah! You are almost finished - nearly there, just need the last final push!

4. You need to go see your mother, because it's been a month since you had dinner with her.

5. Your friend just had a baby! Let's go poke it. Aww. Is cute.

6. Carl and Anna's wedding is coming up - where is your gift? Crap! Get on it!

7. Have dinner with Steve - complain about art projects - Steve tells you about this thing he wants to do, Project B? You guys should totally work together on it because he knows this editor and it might get published and it will be awesome. Of course, you agree - I just need to finish Project A first. He says, alright, but remember, Project B will be due in a month. Oh, you say, well, I guess I need to work on that then.

8. DO YOU HAVE THAT THING FOR THE SHOW YOU SAID YOU WOULD HAVE THREE MONTHS AGO OhMyGod IT'S DUE ON FRIDAY GET WITH IT!

9. Go to the show in a blue wig. Meet really cool people. Think about Project A - this weekend, you tell yourself.

10. Realize that you live like a cave-woman. Do the dishes. Wash underpants.

11. Go to Carl and Anna's wedding. It's beautiful. Makes you cry. Write notes on a really nice napkin for Project A during the reception.

12. Lose the napkin.

13. Steve comes by. He lives close now and can check in on you whenever he likes. He asks "How is work going on Project B?" "Haha." you say. "I have lots of ideas!" There is some drinking.

14. Start work on Project B. It's so awesome. You are filled with the joy of the New Idea, and motivated with the delight of new project love.

This is not to say that I haven't finished things this year. I have. Her Side, two art shows, a photo project for a book in collaboration with other artists, shooting a wedding, an article, a few short stories, two book covers and participation in a collaborative photo project which will be appearing in an art show soon. Very exciting stuff. But there is so much more.

I can see the problems here. One, is that I love doing all kinds of things, and really, to get stuff done, one needs to focus. One project at a time. Or maybe two, but certainly not 40.

The other trouble is time management. After work, I have about two hours of functioning creative time a night, which isn't a lot of time to make serious progress on 40 projects. I'm thinking about taking a month where I don't do ANYTHING. No shows, no conventions, not even dinner with friends - just project work. I've had enough of the 70% hanging over my head.

If I start making announcements about a bunch of things I've finished, you'll know that my strategies are paying off.

7th Son Is Live

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:59:42 GMT

In writing, there are a bunch of rules that you're taught when you're starting out - rules that are meant to keep you from writing utter crap. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, but it's good for beginners to understand the rules before breaking all of them. If your a Master, you can, of course, break the rules and do amazing things, but generally, beginners should work within the rules first.

One of the general rules is not to make your cast of characters too big - it makes the plot difficult to follow and many beginning writers cannot make the character voices distinct enough to help the reader distinguish all the characters. Then there is the trouble of introducing a large cast of characters - if you have to introduce a large cast, you have to take a lot of time to distinguish them, to let people know about them so that they can care about your characters - this takes time, and it can turn into a long, boring, info dump that no one will take the time to sit through.

So, the challenges to a large cast of lead characters are to keep it interesting, introduce all of them without losing the reader, make them distinct characters and write them in voices in which they can be easily recognized. See why beginning writers are urged to keep their leads to one or two main characters?

It would take a real Master storyteller to do that kind of thing smoothly. Of course, a true Master might not stop there. A true Master might take it one step further, and give his seven main characters the same name. And the same face.

I heard J.C. Hutchins work before I met him, and 7th Son impressed me in the first few chapters when Hutchins introduced all the characters in a way that kept me hungry for more, but also in a way that made them distinct and interesting. He should teach classes on this kind of thing.

Today, his novel: 7th Son, is live. J.C. has long given his work away to the masses for free. Now his work is bound in paper at last, and I'm happy to say that I'll be buying a copy today. More than anything else, I want J.C. to write more. I want to see more novels from this man - because anyone who can do what he did in the first chapter of his book needs to be creating more amazing stories for the world.

You can read the first chapter of 7th Son here: http://www.boingboing.net/7thson.html

If you like it, I urge you to buy it here, and give J.C. an amazing opening day for his novel:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312384378?ie=UTF8&tag=mwsmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312384378

And, you know, with every copy of your book you get a free J.R. Blackwell print. Really. Back of the book, author photo. It's my first publication with a major publisher - everywhere that J.C.'s 7th Son goes, so goes my photo of his face. With J.C.'s talent, I have a feeling it's going to travel far.

The Big City

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:31:29 GMT

Yesterday, I had a man ask me if I had to have a gun to walk down the street in West Philadelphia.

Today, I walked to the corner store, where the man behind the counter knows enough about us to notice that my husband got a haircut. Then I saw some friends that were getting ready for a party, so I helped them carry their things down the street. Going home, I chatted with a young lady who worked at the same job I did, after I quit.

I know it's the city, but when you walk down the street and you pass oodles of people who know your name, it feels like a small town.

Dear Charles Dickens

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:10:57 GMT

Dear Charles Dickens,

Thank you for coming up with so many fabulous character names, especially Scadder, Hawk, Lewsome, Craggs and Snitchey. I promise to use them for fun and not for profit.

Sincerely,
J.R. Blackwell

P.S.: Sorry about the Clark Park Statue. I know you didn't want any statues to be made of your personage, but it's here now and we love it. If it's any consolation hardly anyone knows it's there and small children crawl all over it on Saturdays.

Roll The Bones

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:22:08 GMT

Jared Axelrod as Otto Von Chreik of the Discworld Series
Vampire is already pretty cool for me, but if you add in photographer, it elevates to a level of awesome. Add in my husband, and it's irresistible.

Jared is dressed here in a costume he made for the birthday of our friend, Nick Popio, or as it is more commonly known, Nickmas: The Christmas in October. Going to North Carolina is going home, which is odd, as going back to Philadelphia is also going home. I feel I have homes in both places, which is a comforting thought for someone who likes to imagine explosions and portions of landmass falling into the sea. Going back to NC always provides a reminder that I founded the Yachting Club, a club that has such a reach that now Geeks I've never met will tell me all about it.

"There is this club in NC," they'll say, "It's awesome - they put on this convention every year and it's huge and-"

"I know," I say, "I founded it."

Every time I say this, I sound like I'm lying. The club has gotten so big and is so awesome I feel I can no longer take responsibility for it any more. Couples who met in the club have gotten married. I know of two couples who met in the club that are planning weddings right now. When they have children, I will feel in some way a Godmother - not a real one, but a fairy one - or perhaps a Dragon. A Dragon Godmother. Yes.

I can take some honor in it's inception, but the truth is, it's bigger than me now. The only thing I can take credit for is insisting that we not name ourselves based on any one interest (the anime club, the roleplaying club) but that we kept our name, and our charter, open to what may come. While other clubs wax and wane with the interest of the student population, as long as there is a Geek standing at Guilford, there shall be a Yachting Club.

The knowledge of this is one of the things that pushes me forward. The Yachting Club deserves a founder that can live up to it's greatness. They deserve a founder who they can point to with pride. They have bloomed since I left, as so must I grow, so that I can deserve them.

Which is all a round about way of telling you that Hub Magazine has published my debut role-playing column in their 100th issue. I am very proud to be a part of this fantastic, free, science fiction magazine. The column is called "Roll the Bones" and you can read it here:
http://www.hubfiction.com/2009/10/issue-100/

"We begin naked, the rest is role-play."

Dr. Mercury invades the Midwives Gallery: Acting 201

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:53:15 GMT

One of my photographs was in Acting 201, a show put on by the Midwives Collective last Friday night. Each participating artist was given a line and then asked to create a photograph based on that line. My line was "It's gonna be really easy" which evoked the feeling of someone who was both powerful and overconfident. Who is both powerful and overconfident, I thought to myself, as I prepared to take the photo.

Of course, because I am me, I thought of a Supervillain.

This is Dr. Mercury. Dr. Mercury is an insane star child and chemist. She is the kind of person who would believe that a overly complex plan would be very easy, who would fight someone on a rooftop and who would have blood on her teeth.

The opening was very cool - a big crowd, lots of really cool art on the walls, and, one of the most fun parts of an art opening, we got to dress up! Jared dressed to match my hair, and I got dressed based on a dream I had. This produced some snappy outfits, if I do say so myself.

The Midwives themselves are a cool group of women. Talking to two of them after the show, it was obvious how devoted to art they are. They are committed to education, to sponsoring thought provoking work over work that might be commercially viable, to supporting local artists, young artists, female artists, and to opening up the art world to many different visions. Talking to them was refreshing in a way that surprised me. I didn't even know I was thirsty.

My mom took this photo!

Jared walks away dramatically

One Is For Paper

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:11:44 GMT

Yesterday was my first wedding anniversary. Some say that the first year is paper, and for Jared and I, that was true, because we spent the day surrounded by protest signs. We marched on Washington DC with the National Equality March, and really, I can't think of a better way to celebrate our own commitment to each other than to help other people gain the legal rights that we enjoy. What a pleasure it was to be surrounded by love! I feel newly inspired to work locally towards the goal of equality and justice for all people. What a wonderful day!

The above photo was taken by a handsome guy who was there with his boyfriend. We traded taking photos when we marched in front of the White House. Thanks, handsome guy!

It's My Birthday and I'll Post if I Want To

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:07:48 GMT

Good Morning Internet, it's my birthday!

Above is a recent picture, taken by Rae Winters. In it, I'm underwater, which is pretty awesome.

I woke up this morning and my husband handed me this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/japanfan/b625/ It is even more awesome when you are holding it in your hot little hands. He also made me a truly awesome costume which I will soon take a photo of to show the world it's awesomeness. It needs the right background to reflect how cool it really is.

What do I want for my birthday, internet? Hmm. Well, perhaps if I took your photo, you could put it up as an icon for today. That would be pretty cool. An internet full of my photos. :-)

But mostly, what I want is to see my good friends and to eat sugary things.

Tonight, I feast.* MWAHAHAHAHA!

*On vast amounts of pasta.

Acting 201

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:25:18 GMT

Last night I dropped off a piece at the Midwives Gallery for their show "Acting 201". The premise of acting 201 is artists using a prompt to act out a moment. The prompts consisted of a single line that the artist would then interpret to take a self portrait. The artists were free to interpret the lines however they chose.

My line "It's gonna be really easy." brought up visions of someone who is overconfident in their own power. Of someone embarking on a task that should be difficult for someone else, but for them, will be, or they think will be, a lovely piece of chocolate cake.

For me, this prompt summoned up a vision of a Supervillain. Supervillain's are utterly self confident, make grand statements an again and again, believe that this time, this time, it will all be so very easy.

So the entry is a Supervillain, blood in her mouth, a black blade in her hand. The show is for one night only, on Friday, October 9th, three days after my birthday and two days before my first wedding anniversary. The show starts at 6pm and goes to 10pm. There will be lots of local artists present and, of course, the Midwives Collective, which is full of delightful ladies who are committed to art and local artists.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:08:19 GMT

Steve, being more than a little iconic.

Pink Hair

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:15:57 GMT

I saw a young lady with turquoise hair yesterday and I became intensely jealous. Oh, stupid social strictures that require "normal" colored hair within a business environment. I don't mind the paycheck, but I would love to have turquoise hair.

I would still wear a suit! Promise!

I Want To Dance the Macabray

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:19:22 GMT

Seriously. I would love to dance the Macabray.

This is what we'd need:

Graveyard, Town Square, Outdoor Field.
(I think I know a few graveyards we could use)

At least 12 people willing to dance on camera
(might be able to rustle this up)

A choreographer
(Don't know any - unless some of you have talents you're not telling me about)

A selection of at least 6 period costumes
(Yes, but they are all in my size)

Someone willing to hold a camera
(Might be able to find)

A video editor
(May be able to beg)

A group manager
(need a dedicated super-organizer)

A director
(Know a few, none of them local)

It would be so amazing to have a spooky dance performed and taped and shared. To gather a group of artists to create something just for the purpose of making something awesome that people in the world will love. It's weird, having the desire to create things that are essentially fan fiction in dance form. It would be awesome, but is it worth the time and effort and energy to create something that is fan fiction (in dance form) of someone's work? Wouldn't it be better to spend the time working on my own artistic work? But if it's fulfilling, is it worth it anyway? Is taking the time to create something with friends and artists, no matter how derivative, always worth the time and energy? Would most of us have just played video games anyway?

(Every day, I come up with ideas like this, and then wrestle myself into doing my own stuff. If I made every internet video I ever thought of, I would have a huge collection by now.)

Inspired by:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/09/bet-you-thought-i-was-oh-hang-on-i-used.html

All I'm saying is. . .

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:03:30 GMT

All I'm saying is that if Mur Lafferty is kidnapped, we should check the abandoned toy factory/carnival/chemical factory/trainyard/watertower outside of town.

Mur Lafferty's "On Love": http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2009/09/25/on-love/

PS: Come in costume.

Dr. Mercury

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:36:12 GMT

Supervillian, Star-Child, M.D.Ph.D.

A villain can be many things – from the casual cruelty of the hobbyist to the concentrated machinations of an expert. But Arching, the true Arching of a hero, that, my friend, takes love: blackwell.livejournal.com/268457.html

It Takes Love

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:57:20 GMT

A villain can be many things – from the casual cruelty of the hobbyist to the concentrated machinations of an expert. But Arching, the true Arching of a hero, that, my friend, takes love. Oh, it’s often thought that it’s hate, boiling rage or vengeance that fuels the rivalry between a hero and villain, but this is only the surface of the grand story. Deep down, beneath the rage, beneath all that fire and vitriol, must be love. You must love your hero, my friends; you must love her like she is your own child, like she is a part of your soul. When another villain tries to kill your her, it is jealousy you must feel. When she falls in love, you kidnap her lover because she cannot give so much time and attention to someone who isn’t you. Anyone who dares take her attention from you must be destroyed.

But you can be no mere stalker. No mere obsessive. You must make yourself worthy of her – you must shine as her darkened mirror – you must glow in her refracted glory. It is through you that she is great – because she can defeat you, is she all the more glorious.

You must follow her, watch her, bide your time with her, adore her, memorize her movements, impersonate her. You have to make her costume yourself, as she must have done, sewing together the spandex and leather, slipping into that smooth fabric, the shine against your skin. Look at yourself in her skin, her flesh – you are inside her now, you wear the mask that is her face and you know her at last.

At some point, you will team up with her. She will be persecuted, condemned – driven from her sanctuary by the mob that once exalted her. You will be there for her, as you’ve always been. You will help her hunt down those that have hurt her and you will destroy them together. But then, after her enemies have been struck down, you will betray her, because you can never be just an ally, because you love her, you love her with every ounce of blood that pumps though your blackened heart.

If she falls by the hand of another, you must destroy them for daring to touch what was yours. And if you kill her, if you crush her heart in your hands, if you burn her to nothing in acid, if you do manage that, you must follow her into that night because you are dead without her, nothing, burned away.

To Arch takes love. Anything else is just playing games.

The Only People For Me

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:34:09 GMT

"The only people for me are the mad ones. The ones who are mad to love, mad to talk, mad to be saved; the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." -Jack Kerouac

Sometimes, in my dance around the internet, I see the usual hatred and disgust for people who look, act, feel or live outside of some unspecified mainstream ideal. I see this, and I'm reminded of this quote by Jack Kerouac. I am so glad that I know the mad ones - I am so honored that my life has lead me to the people who burn. I am so lucky that I get to see people who create, who desire, who are passionate. I'm glad I get to talk to people for who make me push myself forward. I am glad that I know people who strive, not to be normal, not to fit in, but for an elusive, intangible greatness, for whom life is an art that they can master, but never perfect. I am glad they do not conform. I am glad they worry more about what is right than what is in fashion. I am glad that I know the risk takers and heart breakers. I'm glad it's not simple or easy but weird and hard and oh, so glorious.

Congratulations to Megan and Andy!

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:21:38 GMT

Congratulations to Megan and Andy! Thanks for letting me shoot your beautiful wedding.

On White, On Black

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:36:55 GMT

Photo by Rae Winters
Post by J.R. Blackwell
Models: Dan and J.R.

Original Here: www.flickr.com/photos/10088739@N08/3892497131/

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And The Devil Will Drag You Under. . .

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:04:36 GMT

Photo by Rae Winters
Post by J.R. Blackwell

Original Here: www.flickr.com/photos/10088739@N08/3892497141/

The hardest thing about underwater modeling isn't holding your breath, it's floating. The body seems determined not to sink, to bring you to the surface. If this looks like I'm actually holding this young lady underwater, it is because I am.

Things I learned this weekend: How to know, from the shifting of her shoulder muscles, when a young woman wants to breathe again. The cold that makes your fingers tingle is a sign to stop swimming. That to introduce two cool people to each other is one of the delights of living.

Falling, by Rae Winters

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:13:35 GMT

On Monday I had the pleasure of modeling for photographer Rae Winters during one of her underwater shoots. It was a little cooler on Monday, but the water was fine, at least till the Sun hid behind the trees, and we got to take lots of shots.

Underwater modeling is certainly the most difficult modeling that I've ever done. I had some practice last year and that helped me to prepare for this year. I can hold my breath for longer than most (personal best is five minutes) but it's not just about holding one's breath - it's about understanding how you need to move so that water doesn't go up your nose and hit the back of your head like an angry truck. It's about thinking about your face and your pose while you aren't breathing.

Rae did a lot of neat experiments that day, but one of them resulted in my favorite picture which she titled "Falling". This shot took three tries to get, each one where I fell backwards into a pool, pulled myself out, fell backwards, pulled myself out, fell backwards, and boom.

Rae edited the top photo and I edited the bottom one. Rae and I have similar artistic tastes such that if we were to do a shoot together, I think that our style is similar enough that the shots would meld pretty well. However, I think that this particular edit nicely demonstrates our differences. In Rae's photo, I am falling, bubbles blooming around pink skin, a flutter of blouse. The woman in the photo is letting go, releasing herself into a pool of bright blue. She is in clear waters.

The woman in my photo appears to be committing suicide, headed into a place without light, her skin washed out, the water green and dark.

Rae and I are going to have art babies together. We are going to bring our models and ideas and cameras together and we are going to kick everything in the teeth.

We also do weddings.

My Ten Favorite Self Portraits

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:36:19 GMT

My Ten Favorite Self Portraits
At least, for today.

Day 220: Teiresias

Teiresias is my favorite self portrait. It was taken on a day when I was exhausted, over halfway through my 365 Days project and starting to lose steam. I had no idea what I wanted to do that day except maybe go to sleep.

Usually, on days when I'm not feeling creative, I end up doing something that is less than stellar. This day though, with some help from the Creative Director (my husband) I forged through and took the photo. I knew I wanted to do something without my head, and I had this image of a figure floating in space. Jared helped me to drape the cloth just right and I took the photo. I am so happy with the result. This photo, the only hard copy of it I will ever create, is owned by Tee Morris, one of my greatest Patrons. I'm so happy it lives with him.

Before Teiresias, The Little Death was my favorite photo. It was also difficult to shoot. First of all, shooting two people is always more difficult than one. Shooting a self portrait is challenging for it's own reasons, and shooting a self portrait with someone else, where your pants are around your ankles and you're wearing a fat suit and beard has just a whole host of issues.

I think this is the scariest thing I've ever asked Daniel to do. The idea came to me in a dream and I'm lucky that Daniel agreed to participate.

Day 238: Guilty

Photo Available Here: http://blackwell.livejournal.com/2008/07/10/
One of my goals with my 365 Days project was to transform myself into various characters. I didn't want it to be 365 photos of me, but rather, 365 photos of characters I created. Admittedly, I didn't always succeed in this, but when I did, I was pleased.

Day 238: Guilty, was inspired after a trip to the art museum where I noticed that Masters were able to layer their work, meaning on top of meaning, half hidden images that would change the meaning of the entire peice, and once seen, could not be unseen. A few people have told me that they didn't see the woman in the upper right corner of this photo, and some people have said that she is obvious on first viewing. Either way, this is my attempt to layer an image.

I did put a rope around my throat for this one, but it's not attached to anything other than my hand, which I then erased. At some point,I should post the photo I took where I am holding a blue rope over my head with one hand and pretending to dangle in the air while standing on a chair.

Day 210: EXIT

Photo Available Here: http://blackwell.livejournal.com/207738.html

Look! Another photo about suicide? Or perhaps it's about escape. Either way, this character is attempting to take the EXIT sign literarlly. I think I need to accept the fact that no one is going to like this the way I do. Ah, well.

Day 345: Cry No More

Sometimes when people meet me, they exclaim that I look nothing like my photos. It's true. I use a lot of makeup and costumes to make myself look very different than I do when I go to my office job. In reality, I'm sort of a nerdy looking, bouncy, happy person who does not cover the lower half of her face with black paint. Kyle Cassidy took a good picture of what I usually look like at one point. He sort of caught me and my most me-like. He's talented like that. I usually like to catch myself when I look like someone else.

Day Sixty Four: Breakthrough
Some of my photos should really be titled "I love Katie West's Photography everyone!"
Day 78: Nude

Day Forty Seven: Fedora

Other photos I take should be titled "I love Jack Scoresby's photography!" This photo lead to a gig where I created two book covers for Tee Morris for his fantasy series, Billibub Baddings. According to Constilation Books, they are totally sold out of all the Billibub Baddings books they had.

A friend of mine, who didn't know I was producing the book covers saw them in the bookstore one day and was shocked to see her high school friend on the cover of a book. Admittedly, if I saw someone from high school on the cover of a book, I'd be pretty surprised too.

Day 363: Forbidden

Photo Available Here: http://blackwell.livejournal.com/237227.html
This photo looks like I went to a magical fairy land to take this photo. But really, this place is just outside of Philadelphia at a place called "Forbidden Drive". The name makes it sound mysterious and foreboding, like it's haunted by ghosts but really, it's named that because you are not allowed to drive there with your car. Sorry for removing the romance. But maybe the place has enough romance on it's own. Leave the ghosts to the places that need them.

Tea Party

This is a photo that grew on me. The more I look at it, the more I like it. Jared made the prop in this photo, a prop that was a part of a magnificent costume, a photo, and now, may have a part in a play. Sometimes things you create start to have lives of their own.

10 Photos of People I Adore

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:42:32 GMT

RUSSELL, NICK, STEVE

I want to do more, more like this.

It's fun to go through my photos and pick my favorites.
However, I find that, more and more, I just end up picking photos I love of people I really care about.

I want to take more photos with people I adore. Looking at these, I see I do my best work when I just adore the people involved. I want to do more projects like this.

HOLLY

RAE

ALISON AND NICK

TEE

BRENDAN

JENNIFER

SKOTT, HEATHER, RUSSELL, JENNIFER, ALISON, NICK, STEVE, NATALIE

DANIEL

JARED

Constellation Books: Art Opening!

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:56:43 GMT

(My mom took this picture. Also seen - Cmar, Nobilis and Jared!)

On August 7th I had my first ever solo art show. It was amazing! Constellation books is an adorable space, the kind of bookstore where you want to take a kid to help them understand how cool books are. They feature local authors and indie publishers and the kind of books that would be difficult to find in big booksellers. Lauretta, the owner, was so sweet. She is obviously dedicated to making her store a place for the community - she showcases local artists, musicians and writers, and it's clear that this bookstore is a community meeting point. It's the kind of place that brings people together.

Lauretta told me that the crowd that came out was one of the largest to ever come to one of these openings. It was great to see so many friendly faces. I was really nervous about the show but I am pleased with how the photos look on the wall. It's neat to see Blood and Sand wrapping around the walls of a room. There is something about seeing my art displayed that feels really satisfying. It's been driving me to produce more.

I hope this is just the first of many art shows. It's so neat to talk about something I work on, largely by myself, alone, in a small room. It's great to be social about art. To hear what other people see and get their impressions of my photographs. People have so many different interpretations! It's delightful. I also had fun pointing out various things in the photographs which people may have missed on first viewing - like a tiny moon in the corner, or a flash of red to the side. It was so much fun.

I didn't take many photos that night, but I did take this one of Jared. He's so handsome. I think I'm in love with him. Maybe I should ask him out on a date, or something.

Welcome to J.R. Blackwell!

jrblackwell@gmail.com — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:47:52 GMT

A lot of new people have added me recently from the various projects I've been working on, and I thought it might be a good idea to give a run down on who I am and where you can find me.

Who I am!

I am a writer and photographer who lives in Philadelphia. I occasionally do some burlesque and contortion but only on special occasions. I love science fiction and fantasy and so that is what I write and photograph. I enjoy spending time with my husband, roleplaying, costumes, sexy people, smoothies, weight training, yoga, riding my bike, working in a castle and most vampire fiction. (Though not all.)

I have been published in print and on the web. I was first published in the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster with an essay about Cake. It's hilarious. I'm told that Richard Dawkins has read it, which pleases me to no end since I am a Richard Dawkins fangirl. I have been published by Escape Pod, Hub and other fine magazines. I am a founding writer to 365 Tomorrows, which continues to produce a new piece of science fiction daily.

Warren Ellis said some lovely things about the 365 Tomorrows project in relation to "Burst Culture".

"*365Tomorrows was an ideal reaction to sf publishing in new media, the concept of flash fiction and the way the medium works. 100-word bursts of speculative fiction, daily. JR Blackwell’s gotten herself a career out of it. And note how 365T kept producing and fulfilled its mandate even as sf sites and sf print magazines died on either side of it."

He is right, I did get myself a career out of it. It was that and hard work. Always the work.

My photography has been on the covers of books and in magazines. I have been on the covers of books by Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty and Matthew Wayne Selznick. SubLit Magazine was the first to feature my photography, and Flames Rising was the last. I just finished up "Her Side" a collaboration of photography and words with Mur Lafferty that should be available for sale as a book. Can't say when yet. "Her Side" is also available as a gallery show, so if you manage a gallery, or if you want to see it in a gallery near you, contact me! I recently had my first art show at Constellation Books, where my prints are still available for viewing and sale. "The Hive" ,a photo project that was the brainchild of Mr. Kyle Cassidy, will have a showing down south in the Fall that I am hoping I can be attend.

Current projects!

I'm currently collaborating with a visual artist that lives in Philadelphia and a poet that lives in South Africa.

I am working on an illustrated novella with an illustrator that I have lovely dreams about.

I'm in the finishing stages of my roleplaying game "Shelter In Place" which I will be sending out to my trusted team of awesome game masters to test on their own crowds soon. I am working to have it available for sale come Halloween.

I am adding text to my layout of my 365 Days Book, which will be made available through Blurb. I am doing my best to make it reasonably priced - though having a book with over 300 photos does tend to make it difficult to keep under $40 - but I shall do my best!

Jared Axelrod and I are working on a comic script together. If you were in our office right now, you would see a giant board with index cards and plot points. We write something in this every day.

I am preparing to shoot two weddings, a debonair podcaster and a really hot pregnant lady in the Fall. I am excited about all of these things. These things are so awesome that I think I'll have to buy a new lens to celebrate.

That's not quite everything, but a lot of the others things are secret or on the back burner just for now. It looks like this fall is going to be a busy, busy, time. Busy, but good.

I can be found at these lovely places on the internet:

My website: www.jrblackwell.com
Shelter In Place: http://shelterinplace.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jrblackwell
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrblackwell/