I’ve worn a lot of different hats – even a cowl – while getting wider.
Some things change; some don’t.
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Category Archives: educational
Take a Number
Image
Hang this!
Click on image to enrage; i mean enlarge.
I couldn’t help seeing a video earlier today of the Taliban using cranes to hang people in public. Good grief! I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like having a “religion” like that. The sight of it nauseated me; and I wanted to paint all of it but the hanging corpse. I figured I’d decide what I was going to substitute for the dead body once I had finished everything else. The poison sign came to mind, so I went with it. I didn’t want to think too much about it. Anything but a dead body. What am I missing?
Last Breath
I did this one in December of 2020, but I decided not to post it on this illustroblog. However, now that we’re witnessing a few examples of people who, when they did have plenty of breath to spare, bloviated on and on about their absolute certainty that science, masks, election results, slavery and so forth were all hoaxes. A few of them – on their death beds – are now using their last breaths to help their fellow cult members wake the f*ck up before it’s too late. Meanwhile, the well-funded Stupidity and Extinction Campaign has raised more money than ever before!
Let’s talk about anything under the sun. I’m an iTalki Teacher.
Book a lesson at: https://tinyurl.com/portfoliolongo
I create opportunities for conversation practice targeting the following kinds of speakers of English as an acquired language:
- B2: (Vantage/Upper Intermediate)
- C1: (Advanced/Effective Operational Proficiency)
- C2: (Mastery/Proficiency)
You will have an opportunity to apply your knowledge, understanding, and love of English by speaking, listening, reading, and writing. I will have the opportunity to interact with you; discover relevant patterns related to your vocabulary, grammar, and expressive style; and provide occasional feedback so that you can become more technically competent and expressively confident. Otherwise, we can converse improvisationally about anything under the sun.
Check out my profile, and book a lesson at: https://tinyurl.com/portfoliolongo
Way To Go, Buddy!
Over the years I’ve come to take “differences” seriously. I take “complexity” seriously too, which makes sense…to me at least. At the same time, I’ve noticed that there are those who fear or even hate “differences” as well as “complexity.” I prefer conversations with them to be either already short or ultimately shortened.
Some 3-Minute iPad Drawings
Elsewhere on this illustroblog, HERE IN PARTICULAR, I’ve referred to my work at the Enrichment Center (EC), where I’ve taught iPad art to adult artists with developmental disabilities since 2015. The pandemic put an end to our in-person classes and studios, but we’ve continued to meet online a few times a week. On Fridays we meet for timed drawing exercises. Some use traditional tools, e.g., pens, pencils, markers, paper, etc., and others use iPads. We’re shown an object or a photo, we’re given 3 minutes to draw it, and then we take turns showing what we managed to crank out. I have over 60 digital images, and here are a few of them (all done in the Sketch Club app):
Being a Community Tutor in English on iTalki
Click on video to experience the digital transformation.
Since late February 2021 I’ve been a Community Teacher on an online platform called iTalki, a Chinese company headquartered in Shanghai. You can visit my profile page by clicking on the following link: [CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY iTALKI PROFILE PAGE]
To date (4/14/21) I’ve completed around 75 online lessons with approximately 35 students. It’s conversation-based learning, so I target students who can already speak English at intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency. Each “lesson” is about an hour. I currently charge $10 per lesson, although I may increase that once I reach 100 completed lessons. Some students purchase packages of 5 lessons at a slight discount.
The conversation topics are completely open ended. Occasionally, I pause the dialogue to provide feedback on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and expressive, interactive style. So far I’ve had students from Russia, Estonia, Korea, Japan, Brazil, Peru, China, and the list is growing. It’s a remarkably eye-opening and rewarding experience.
If you know anyone who might benefit from such a learning experience, please help them book their first iTalki lesson with me or any number of other qualified teachers. Thank you.
By the way, did I mention that I’m often blown away by folks who use our conversations as an opportunity teach this old dog new tricks? Yes, it happens; and that makes me the luckiest person on my cul-de-sac!
Intra-independence
I was in a slump and felt overwhelmed by all the revelations that politics as usual is all about acquiring and retaining power. It happens on both sides of the aisle, but Republicans, I’m convinced – because they’re wealthier and have more to lose – are better at it. And that was before RBG died (see an RBG post from 2014 with video), prompting Republicans to activate their pituitary glands once again for the world to see! So, I sketched out one of my stock, bald-headed “establishment” guys in Sketch Club on my iPad. I copied it, flipped it, added some more details, tweaked it a little in iColorama while recording the “movement,” and then finally editing the video with a soundtrack in Videoshop. As I did this, I realized I was working through an insight, or at least a suspicion, that we attach ourselves to mental constructs, even our sense of self, with whom we dance and dance and dance, as reality goes on in the overlooked background. It’s so hard to detach or let go, but very little acceptance can occur until we do.
Help a friend of mobile digital art and photography
Use the link below to help Meri Walker (aka the iPhoneArtGirl), who lost her home and all her belongings in the fire that ravaged Talent, Oregon on September 8, 2020 – an unimaginable loss. This tragedy follows upon a year during which Meri also suffered significant medical issues from which she is still recovering.
Those of us who know and love Meri, believe that her indomitable spirit will help her get through this. But all of us, her friends, need to help her, financially, emotionally and spiritually, during the weeks and months ahead, so that she can replace some of her belongings, buy her medicine, and figure out her housing. And most importantly, so that she knows she is not facing this alone.
Please, be the change you want to see in the world – one life supported, one burned house rebuilt, one helpful shoulder to lean on at a time.
Click on this link: Help Meri Walker Rebuild After Devastating Fire
or try the following:
