And guess what is on the way up here from Texas. Kansas City. What does that mean? Hammerpress, Hallmark, and all kinds of kickass places!! The Hammerpress space is amazing. It was just inspiring to be there. Any artist or designer should try to make it there at some point in their career. And then you should drive on to Minneapolis to see me!! :)
For more photos of Hammerpress, visit my Flickr photostream.
My apartment is...let's call it intimate. It's a nice little studio space with small kitchen area and bathroom. It's perfect for me right now, and I'm very happy in it. It is true that there is no air conditioning, but I've put a few fans up, and it's really not unbearable. I feel like I get a look of pity from other people who visit, but I don't think they see what I do.
This place was built in the '30's, and not much has changed since. The windows, light fixtures, wood floor, etc. is all original. This means that the windows all stick and hardly open, and there are scratches and dings everywhere. I have to tell you, I love wrestling with the windows, and all of the scratches really just mean that I don't have to worry about messing things up. Nice for an artist.
The furniture is similar in that way. I've gotten most of it for free, "borrowing" everything from families who don't need them anymore, who are kind enough to let me use them. People say that I can get nicer things as I have more of an income, but honestly I'm perfectly comfortable here. I think I'll just save my money and satisfy my travel thirst.
My neighbors seem pretty interesting. The oldest tenant spends every day sitting out on the front lawn with her dog, sort of guarding the place and greeting passersby. There are some college students that stay here. One of the residents owns this ridiculous car [note the toilet on top]. It might be for a parade coming up, we'll see how long it stays parked in the lot.
(I wish you could get the full effect from a photo.)
The location is incredible, I am right behind a great local coffee shop called Nina's with free wi-fi, and a few restaurants and salons. There's also an art school on the corner, a park across the street, an old Swedish church on the corner of my street, and an old Cathedral a few blocks away. There are also a few pubs around, and a really nice street not far with a ton of small businesses and great locals to meet.
Did I mention that my complex has red doors? Just the cherry on top of an amazing place to live. Photos of the interior to come, I've got a few things to set up still. More about the Mini Apple and it's brother, St. Paul, to come as well. Stay tuned.
