Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975)

Shostakovich’s contemporaries do not recall seeing him working, at least not in the traditional sense. The Russian composer was able to conceptualize a new work entirely in his head, and then write it down with extreme rapidity—if uninterrupted, he could average twenty or thirty pages of score a day, making virtually no corrections as he went.

But this feat was apparently preceded by hours or days of mental composition—during which he “appeared to be a man of great inner tensions,” the musicologist Alexei Ikonnikov observed, “with his continually moving, ‘speaking’ hands, which were never at rest.”

Shostakovich himself was afraid that perhaps he worked too fast. “I worry about the lightning speed with which I compose,” he confessed in a letter to a friend. Undoubtedly this is bad. One shouldn’t compose as quickly as I do. Composition is a serious process, and in the words of a ballerina friend of mine, “You can’t keep going at a gallop.” I compose with diabolical speed and can’t stop myself.… It is exhausting, rather unpleasant, and at the end of the day you lack any confidence in the result. But I can’t rid myself of the bad habit.

- From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

#dailyrituals #inktober #shostakovich @masoncurrey

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ponytailx

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2 years ago

Me when I remember something I said ages ago that was wrong or my values no longer align with

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full body drawing of momo and pg holding hands. both girls wear ao dais (traditional vietnamese clothing). pg wears a red dress with a gold dragon winding around her body. her pants and shoes are black. momo wears a lighter red dress patterned with small white flowers and curly yellow leaves. her pants are gold, and she wears dark, open-toed shoes. momo tugs on her pants. "does it look okay?" she asks shyly. pg smiles down at her. "you look great," she says.

happy lunar new year!! 🎉

i meant to write this up in november but so many things have happened in between… i just wanted to express my gratitude and highlight some wonderful praise that If You'll Have Me has received. i still can't believe it's actually a book! a physical thing i can hold! thank you everyone who has reviewed IYHM or left me kind words upon reading. it means so much, more than i can even say.

thank you especially to the librarians and independent booksellers who champion these stories! i'm overcome with joy every time i see IYHM pictured in a library, and i'm so honored to have it featured on the Kids' Indie Next list as well as BCCB's Blue Ribbon Books for 2023.

it can be difficult to make art these days, and i sometimes question the point of creating at all. but the response to IYHM has been a great source of encouragement, and i hope to keep drawing and writing stories no matter what. thank you so much!

wishing you all health, happiness, and community ❤️

two images with accolades for If You'll Have Me. the first: If You'll Have Me has been chosen to appear on the November/December 2023 Kids' Indie Next List, a bi-monthly list that features the top nominations from independent booksellers across the country. it showcases the best of the best debuts and new releases in all categories and genres for young readers.

the second: If You'll Have Me has been selected as a BCCB Blue Ribbon Book of the year. BCCB stands for The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. the summary reads: From the soothing evening-sunset of the 2018 Emily Gwen lesbian pride flag color palette to the authentic dialogue between its protagonists, this love letter to queer women of color follows two young women at college as they learn to communicate about sex, love, and vulnerability.

starred review from publisher's weekly. text: Eunnie’s lively, expressive style expertly combines classic shoujo manga flair with visually poppy cartoon elements, depicted in saturated jewel tones, that amplify key moments and the work’s dreamy ambiance. Distinctly designed characters portrayed with varying body types and skin tones, and boasting amicable personalities, bring PG and Momo’s college campus to life, cultivating a rollicking environment in which the girls’ relationship blossoms.

review from Kirkus Reviews. text: Readers will fall in love with both young women as they fall in love with each other. Their conflicts give them depth and feel believable for their stage of life, their different but equally relatable backstories are fleshed out, and the satisfying resolution inspires happiness... Utterly charming and swoonworthy.

starred review from Booklist. text: Delights in the small joys of falling in love... An absolutely charming read for anyone interested in romance and relationship building.

starred review from BCCB. text: Grappling with the sometimes-uneven nature of queer intimacy and communication issues sits at the core of this refreshing graphic novel romance that centers women-loving-women of color.

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ponytailx

1 year ago

In case the term is unfamiliar to anyone, your Golden birthday is when the age you're turning coincides with the date you were born. Say if I was born on March 18th, my golden birthday would be when I turned 18 :)

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ponytailx

4 months ago

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ponytailx

2 years ago

magic af

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ponytailx

2 years ago

I’ve hit this fun little patch of dopamine with making posters for thing, so here’s a couple I’ve made so far. I have some more, but they’re for a project so I’ll need to ask if I can post them here first, but for now enjoy these

Apparently making posters for a fake institute meant I have to make like 50 for different things

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ponytailx

2 years ago

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ponytailx

1 year ago

Hey. Why isn’t the moon landing a national holiday in the US. Isn’t that fucked up? Does anyone else think that’s absurd?

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ponytailx

4 months ago

oh to have nothing to your name but a rented apartment, and still be happy because you're with the one you love and you get to build a life with them.

[ID: two gifs of Mustafa and Sharjeena sitting in their new apartment. Mustafa is sitting against the wall with his knees pulled up, elbows resting on them as his hands clasp together loosely in the front. Sharjeena is sitting next to him, her cheek pillowed on Mustafa's arm as he watches her with a fond gaze. /end ID]

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