Fred Seibert

Last night I had drinks with Fred Seibert. That is to say, I had drinks, he had tea, he was coming down with a cold and has obviously never heard of my "booze training" theory that supports the notion that an immune system constantly challenged by alcohol consumption becomes like a well trained prize fighter, able to stave off even the toughest viruses.
So Catherine Branscome suggested the meeting, I wanted to speak with Fred at last years Platform film Festival, but never got a chance to as he was always engaged with a group of people, and I never like to push my way in to make introductions. Once I know a person, I have no problem pushing in, but I don't like to do it with introductions, call me old-fashioned.
Fred is just full of good advice. He is so gregarious and funny I could have talked with him all night, and no I'm not kissing up, he really is amusing. He''s also full of insightful wisdom and funny stories. The kind of wisdom I speak of isn't television industry 'tricks & tips' stuff, it's more the kind of wisdom you might get from a wise old sage, it's the kind of wisdom that makes you feel dumb when you hear it, because it's so simple. I am greedy with my Fred wisdom and will give only one example: "Say "yes" to EVERYTHING." This was one of Fred's pearls to me. At first I thought, "He's crazy", this industry is full of sharks and cheaters and scumbags, if I say yes to everything soon I'll end up in the trunk of a Cadillac in some back alley with my pants around my ankles."
But he goes on to explain the wisdom of saying yes, and I understand that he's talking about the power of forward momentum, and of progress. Seeing things on a time line, I can see how saying yes opens more doors and more opportunities than saying no, and this makes sense in a larger, karmic sense. It also happens to make sense from a business perspective. As he went on to elaborate, saying yes isn't the same as SIGNING something, and as he so eloquently put it, "So what if you sign, you're a creative, they can't MAKE you create!"

Fred, you're pure genius, thanks for the drinks, feel better.

Murphy Table

Today I made an animation table for a new project I'm starting. I want to do it on paper, and needed a new animation table as I had given my old one away. It seems even though I am capable of being "paperless" I also miss drawing on paper, so this way, I can do both, or either!
I got a piece of scrap bamboo from Endura Wood here in Portland for a mere $15. Add to that about $19 worth of hinges and screws, and a few scraps of Oak I had laying about from another project and viola! A "Murphy Table" as Brian Larson called it.

Love it, very simple and clean, and solid too, a good space saver solution for my ever-shrinking office/studio.