No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on September 8, 2020

Or why I do what I do even when I think I cannot do it.

I was talking to a fellow puppeteer the other day about this that and the other. 

This person keeps their tricks close to the vest and rarely shares how they do it.

I will say they have given me ways of doing things or looking at a project slightly differently. 

We have known each other for many years now so I am apparently safe in their books.

We have had a discussion about sharing how we do it a number of times over the years. 

They don’t understand why I am willing to show anyone how I make my puppets. I think they think that the magic is lost when you know how the trick is done.

I love teaching others how to do what I do. If they surpass me, great. I helped give them the tools to get to where they are.

I am in the school of the more people who know how to do something, the better it is for our puppetry community.

I am a textbook case for Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome –

a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success

-Merriam-Webster dictionary

That in a nutshell is how I use to feel about my abilities as a puppeteer and a builder all the time.

Now it is some of the time because I am much more confident in what I do.

Part of that is the longer I do this, the more confident I become in what I can do.

I know I can make things now that I could not ten years ago. My ability to create patterns and work out the geometry of what I want to do is getting better and better the more I do.

I have challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and try to create new puppets and dolls.

But I can fall back on what I know if I need to make something to prove to myself that I can do this and do it well.

I have also stopped comparing what I do to others. That was a big step in the right direction.

I came to the conclusion one day is that I do what I do, and I do it well and they do what they do and do it well.

That was a big weight off my shoulders.

Some artists find their style and then sit back and rest on their laurels never going forward from that point. Some can afford to do that, but others find themselves out of work when their style is not the popular style anymore.

I cannot do that. I have to push and try to improve each puppet as I make them/

I think my best examples of this are all the Doctor Who puppets I have made over the years. The first ones are very good. I learned a ton while making them. The redoes are even better and there is more detail and more accurate renditions of the Doctors. The ones that I felt were OK but not great have moved to the great category.

Because of those puppets, I had the basics on puppet clothing down. But it was simple, and the patterning was hard to create. Over the years I have gone from a limited ability to pattern draft to the point where I can draft patterns for human sized people, which is easier for many, but I am used to working in puppet size.

The confidence from that has translated to an overall confidence in what I can do.

I think that imposter syndrome is why it took me so bloody long to put together a website to sell puppets on.

 I am grateful that I can make puppets.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 7, 2020

Today is Labor Day. It has been a national holiday for 125 years now.

From the Department of Labor website

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

If you love Labor Day, thank a Union Worker.

Right now, Unions are under siege where there is a lot of union busting by companies that do not want their workers to organize. The “right to work” statutes are killing the ability for unions to add new members.

As a nation, I think we have forgotten all that unions have done for the workforce as a whole.

They have done so much for the workers of America that is now considered normal that would have not existed except for the unions.

Lunchbreak? Thank a union.

Fair wage for fair work? Union.

Vacation pay? Union

So thank a Union member for having today off. 

I am a proud member of Actors Equity and Peter is a member of the WGA.

Now onto Mental Health

This week is national Suicide Prevention Week with September 10 designated as Suicide Awareness Day.

Suicides are up according to WHO. They also believe that the rate is going to increase even after we have this pandemic under control.

We are all under stress right now. There is a feeling of hopelessness and grief that is now worldwide.

We are grieving for what was and worried about what will be.

I would put the mental health of this planet is poor at best.

And the things that are stressing us aren’t going away soon.

And that leads to despair.

I know the stress of dealing with health issues with no end in sight.

I know what it is like to think that there is nothing left to live for and why stick around.

I am so glad that I got help and am still here. I encourage others to do the same.

Suicide is not the answer to one’s pain. It is a long term solution to a short term problem.

And it does get better. 

Right now, it may not seem that way but I can tell you from personal experience that there is a life out there that is worth living for.

Seeking help is not a weakness but a strength. 

Take care of yourselves. Give yourself time to breath and be in the moment. Self care is not selfish.

Walking is good for the brain in so many ways. Sunshine is good for the brain and mental health. Breathing is good for the brain. 

Be excellent to each other.

I am grateful for unions.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 6, 2020

Sunday is a tricky one in terms of timing for us at DragonCon because that is our chicken and rib night.

We have been doing this for a number of years. We go to Fat Matt’s Rib Shake and get a mess a ribs and then to the Colonnade for fried chicken. We get some sides as well. 

Then we invite friends to come by and grab some food if they have a panel or something or stay and enjoy some quiet time with friends along with the annual viewing of the DragonCon Masquerade. 

It starts with me figuring out when I can go to the grocery story and grab what we need in terms of drinks, paper goods, chips, and party plates. 

Later Peter and our friend John Hudgens pick up the food which has become a tradition for them.

I clean up and set up the space for our gathering while Peter is getting the food.

Then we have our rib night festivities.

We started this to have a chance to see our friends outside the convention and give them a space to not have to be ‘on’. 

It is where I have introduced my friends to my other friends and a number of friendships have blossomed from that.

I have also watched some of my friends do double takes as to who joins us that night. Peter and I know lots of interesting people. 

That evening is the DragonCon Puppet Slam which I really enjoy participating in. 

Technically it is Monday Morning as it starts at Midnight.

So that’s our Sunday into Monday.

Monday is usually a panel or two. Peter does the last panel on the Star Trek track and we then go to my parents’ for dinner unless we have to get back for Caroline to attend school.

I am grateful for all the experiences I have had at DragonCon.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 5, 2020

Saturday has morphed a bit from what it was originally.

There were two constants for me, the banquet and Sean’s party. 

Last year was the first year without the banquet which felt strange, but I do understand the reasons for doing away with it. Just made it harder to get invites to people for the party.

The banquet was always interesting for so many reasons. A big one was, because Peter gave out the Julie Award, who we got to meet at our table that evening.

I have so many good stories from that. 

It was there I first met Brian Froud and later became friends with the family. 

I got to tell Terry Gilliam how much his work means to me and we had a discussion about mental health I plan to talk about later next week. 

We got to meet John Lewis through Nichelle Nichols who knows us. Caroline discussed Civil Rights past and present and what needs to be done. Congressman Lewis told us that if Caroline ran for president, he would vote for her. 

Got to watch Peter David talk to Peter Capaldi about a project and his next novel. 

Talked to Caroll and Deb Spinney and Brian Henson about puppetry and the viability of the art form. 

Introduced George and Brad Takei to my friends. This was right after their wedding.

Caroline met Lucy Lawless and they instantly bonded.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I have talked about Sean’s parties over the years.

He has been called the Party God and his cocktails are legendary. 

He picks a theme and then creates an immersive environment for his guests.

The invite itself is highly coveted. I have most of them but not all of them. I think I know two people who have a complete set besides Sean.

Last year he recreated the coin use in the John Wick movies and built a door, so you dropped the coin in, and the door opened.

His press pass was so good that people used it to get into places that you could only get into with a press pass.

I could wear two weeks of t-shirts that Sean created for his various parties. 

It is there that I can meet up with people that I can only wave to outside of the party. We catch up on life and everything. 

I love the discussions that I get into there. 

Then there are the people who help Sean run the party. 

The twins Javier and Cesar are a constant there. Doormen who are over 6 foot and built like linebackers helps to keep people in line. They are also Peter David fans that are now Peter David friends. 

Jeff and Angelo always pitched in and helped Sean with the graphics and props for the parties. Angelo’s graphic design skills were amazing. Jeff is the ultimate doorman as he can keep people in line and doesn’t take fools well. He doesn’t care what you think of him. He is going to do his job.

Vin is another of Sean’s doorman and barbacks that knows how to keep the party safe. He doesn’t take any guff and can get people causing problems to move along. He is a sweet guy with a rough exterior.

I miss seeing all of them this weekend. 

I am grateful for all the fun I have had at DragonCon on Saturday.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 4, 2020

Friday at DragonCon is one of my busy days. 

I have a couple of panels and then in the evening is devoted to the Friday Night Workmanship Costume contest.

For a number of years I have been the head judge for this contest and proud to be a part it. 

I am blessed to have fellow judges who I have been come friends with and that have a lot of experience professionally along with a diverse skill set. 

The crew from the costuming track are always great to work with and do go the extra mile to make sure we can pull off the best contest we can every year. I could not do it without them.

I started as a judge after Marty Gear recommended me to the powers that be as someone with a skill set that would be useful to the judging.

Shortly after that I was promoted to head judge which really meant that they needed a stage manager to keep things move along so we can get to a decision. I am more than willing to be the gorilla in the room keeping things moving. 

Part of the fun of judging this contest is that I learn a lot from the contestants. There are new techniques and new materials that I find out about. And new takes on old materials that are quite amazing. And these people know how to use what they have or can get to make amazing things. Some of the recycling I have seen is worthy the title of art. 

And it is cool to see the work put into each piece of the costume up close.

We say that each year it gets harder to judge and we are not kidding. Every year people up their game and come in with their best. 

This year was no different even with the restrictions we were laboring under.

It is a marathon to get to the end and we do our best.

I would like to thank my fellow judges Cheralyn Lambeth (https://cheralynlambeth.webs.com), Travis Scott Merrill (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8293657/), Freddy Clements (https://www.ehc.edu/live/news/1081-freddy-clements-honored-with-legacy-award), and Rob Allsopp (http://www.raprops.com/home/splash01.htm) for their hard work this year and all the years we worked together.

They are all amazing artists and lovely people that I am proud to call friends.

Lee Cox and his amazing crew always have what we need or get it for us in short order. They organize this monster so we can judge it and make sure that the contestants know what is going on and are taken care of.

Tonight we have our virtual version of the contest at 8:30.

Friday Night Costume Contest

Feel free to tune in and watch what we judged.

I am grateful that I am part of the DragonCon family.

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