All posts by Kristi

Kristi Beisecker is a graphic designer, photographer, printmaker and alternative scientist whose interested in making images through two contrasting elements. She is also a blogger in lifestyle, travel, wellness and health, art and design, beauty and fashion.
Guatemala, Inquiry, International, Travel, ◆◆◆

Inquiry: Textiles and Weaving

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Saturday, I toured the town of San Juan during a cultural tour. I visited the textile and weaving demonstrations, as well as the medicinal and herbal gardens, coffee plantations and art galleries. I had a lot I wanted to do but in all honesty, that particular location was so relaxing that it made it hard to do more! In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was that relaxed. Just napping out on the hallway outside my room made for a perfect activity that weekend.

 

Textile Demonstrations

Through the hotel’s instructions, I met up with a guide in town who was also giving another couple a tour. The couple was from Montreal and the woman spoke French and her husband spoke French and a little English, both spoke Spanish. So during our conversations, I understood French better through my studies than I did Spanish, so at some points four languages were being exchanged. Mayan to Spanish, Spanish to French and then occasionally French to English/Spanish to English. It was an interesting use of French and Spanish and glad I had that experience. We were sitting at the restaurant for lunch and our guide was teaching us a few Mayan words, and it got particularly interesting.

Our first stop was a textile and weaving demonstration. Here, they taught us the dying methods used since ancient times to dye the material and fabric. They also taught us how to spin the yarn, and showed us the loom. This was particularly interesting to me because I had done a similar project at work that used all-natural dyes and to see this process being done since ancient history was pretty cool. Here I bought a vibrant purple scarf in bamboo material.

 

 

After this, we stopped by a medicinal and herbal garden and learned more about the local plants used in every day life. As an artist with a focus in organic material, it was particularly interesting to see how familiar plants were used in a different culture. Some plants I recognized from Italy like rosemary and oregano and some that were relatively new. For example, they grew Euphorbia which I learned about in Italy but never learned much about it’s medicinal properties! After this, we went to a coffee tour and plantation. We learned more about the different types of Guatemalan coffee and saw it growing on site, as well as sampled it.

 

After this, we stopped by a church, and another weaving coop that worked with cotton and then from there we stopped for lunch and then the art coop. After the art gallery, it was time to go back to the hotel. We parted ways and I took the ‘took took’ back to the hotel.

 

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Exploration, Guatemala, International, Lifestyle, Travel, ◆◆◆

Exploration: Lake Atitlan for the Non-Backpacker

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SAN JUAN LAGUNA, Guatemala – Celebrate a birthday through solo travel by traveling to one of Central America’s most Non-Backpacker friendly destinations!

 

As I was searching for my next destination to go to celebrate my 28th, especially for a short duration, Guatemala kept coming up. I’ve been inspired by Lake Atitlan for ages from the spiritual and artistic points of view of the area. Not only that but the area is still very authentic in Mayan culture and as you may know I’ve studied and researched their culture in my art history classes and independently. I’ve said this when my family and I went to Yucatan in Mexico for my 21st, but I’m always fascinated when I’m actually standing in the same exact location that their ancestors did who built the pyramids (and other structures) that have lasted thousands of years. I have yet to go to Egypt but am working up to it, however, I am sure I will feel the same about Egypt when I do eventually go.

 

 

Accommodations

Considering the trip was literally 5 days, I had to make sure that it went smoothly and for that I chose to book with Uxlabil Eco Hotels. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this hotel was a chain and had a location in Guatemala City and Lake Atitlan, and not only that but their Atitlan location was adjacent to one of the most artistic towns in the Atitlan region; where you can see textile/weaving demonstrations, coffee tours and plantations, medicinal and herbal gardens, historical architecture and art galleries. As you can guess, my senses had a bit of a field day. I was able to book shuttles and taxis through the hotel who had called them before I arrived and the taxis were extremely prompt and made the trip a lot smoother.

 

From the outside, the itinerary was ambitious and possibly risky however many articles said to treat the journey to the lake as part of the experience, and I am very glad I went into that trip with that mind-set! My itinerary started about mid-day on Thursday when I departed from Boston, which my flight was delayed due to a technical error and I literally only had about 15-30 minutes to make my connecting flight in Miami. It had been a very long time since I had last connected through Miami and I had forgotten how nightmarish that airport was. I ran with my heavy equipment bag and everything else down at least a mile to the next terminal to make my flight. Considering it was a short trip, I couldn’t waste anytime and needed to make that flight. Thankfully I made it with 6 minutes to spare. Having a connecting flight in Miami, meant that it was 2 and a half hours to Miami and 2 and a half hours from Miami to Guatemala City.

 

 

San Juan La Laguna

I got into Guatemala City around 9 pm. Got to the currency exchange, got my luggage and found my taxi and was checked into the hotel by 10:30 pm. It also helped that this location was about 10 minutes from the airport. I ate, showered and was in bed by 11:30 pm. Considering I had to get up at 4 am, which wasn’t too different from my usual 5:30 wake-up time, to make the 6 am taxi to Lake Atitlan.

 

The taxi to Panajachel was about 2.5-3 hours, then from Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna was about a 2 hour boat ride across the lake. I’ve been surrounded by boats and on them before and I am generally not afraid of them, however, I was totally not expecting this boat ride to be extremely bumpy! So much so I was pretty shaken up upon arrival and I actually fell and banged my leg against the fiberglass boat and bruised my leg! Thankfully it didn’t prevent me from walking around. I also thought for a moment that I was in over my head since the road ahead of me off the pier was literally a 45 degree angle and with all of my luggage and equipment bag and especially after the day before. I thought the entire town was like this! But it apparently was only the side roads and the town itself had plateaued out and was extremely walkable. The region also had 3-wheeled ‘took tooks’ or taxis that were able to climb these steep roads. I was also very thankful for the temperature. The locals may have all been wearing winter coats, but I was in short sleeves and coatless. The temperature never got above 75 degrees when I was there and that made a huge difference for my heat exhaustion, I don’t think I could’ve done it if it was above that.

The hotel consisted of 3 floors of bedrooms, a dinning and lounge area – which had the most spectacular view, a dock, gardens, jacuzzi and spa, as well as many other amenities. The food was geared towards international travelers but had local, authentic flavor and produce. For dinner I had essentially a 3-course meal with soup, a main entree with side dishes of vegetables and rice, tortillas and finally desert. The menu did have an authentic mayan meal if you were looking for something of that flavor.

 

Departure

Sunday, I made my way back to Guatemala City. And I should have expected this, but Sunday was kind of annoying. There was  a lot of waiting around for the public transportation as it was much slower on Sunday. Additionally, there was also a lot of traffic going into Guatemala City, so a 2.5-3 hour trip turned easily into 3.5-4 hours. I basically retraced my steps back to the Guatemala City location. They had also upgraded me to a 3-person suite at the Uxlabil Eco Hotels which was very nice! I also enjoyed the fact that my flight home was in the afternoon so I did not have to get up super early. The flights home went well and nothing went wrong. However, I did find it interesting that I was flagged by TSA for SSSS. SSSS stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection and it appears on a passenger’s boarding pass when they’ve been selected by TSA’s Secure Flight system for enhanced security screening. I am very thankful for the travel group I am apart of for teaching me about this. Basically you get swabbed down before boarding the flight from Guatemala City. And actually because of the area I was in, I was actually thankful that that they had done that for possible drug smuggling or something could’ve been on my clothes, etc. that may have prevented me from reentering the country.

 

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Inquiry, Research, Water Quality

Water Quality Update

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Over the summer, I initiated a water quality project that would take data from water tests from bodies of water that were near me at the time. One aspect of my artwork is collecting and going out on walks and in the fields to collect items for my artwork. This project is inline with that and I have been thinking about how to turn this data into a visually pleasing way. I have investigated into using 3D printing to sculpt the topography of the body of water into a 3D form and then color that form using the colors from the water tests. But 3D printing is expensive, so until I get there, I am going to work on this project 2Dimensionally. I’m hoping to turn it more into just using the outline of the body of water to visually depict the water test data. But here’s a starting point and something completely new. 🙂

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Blog

How to Not Work with a Graphic Designer

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I can’t believe I’m making this post in 2018. The graphic design field has been around a long time and with it has come from many changes. To this day, my biggest fear is automation and templating taking over custom design work, and in some ways it has. But custom design is only going to be reformatted so it will become custom template design. Anyway, how in 2018 are we still having issues with clients ripping off designers and screwing them over for their hours and work?

 

I recently had a negative experience regarding a former client relationship that has made me feel extremely defeated in regards to my own work. It was so disappointing that I no longer feel comfortable wearing their product and giving them free press. I will probably eventually donate the product or give it to a women’s homeless shelter. Because the experience has left such a bad taste in my mouth, I no longer want their energy around me. And due to legal reasons, I will never mention them or their brand on any of my websites – portfolio or personal again, and will delete any posts mentioning them.

 

Unfortunately, more often than not, lack of communication within projects is the cause for failure and that was certainly the case with this client relationship. When they first signed me on, I loved what their brand stood for, their identity, the work and effort that was put into it, their cause, the results that they were getting, everything! However the structure within this particular brand was abysmal. At the rebirth of this client relationship I suggested forming a contract with these people and to be honest, I am SO glad nothing formal ever got signed, and honestly I don’t know if a contract would have made all of this easier. I take it as a HUGE red flag that they ignored my requests to work with me through my refined and simplified processes and failed to work with me on developing structure. They wanted their work done their way or the highway and I’m sorry but that attitude won’t get you ANYWHERE. At almost 28, I’ve been in this field for awhile now, and have learned and grew from my own mistakes and one of those mistakes is to never work with a brand who refuses to collaborate with an external employee with their work-style. If they had hired me as a full-time employee, that’s one thing, but otherwise as a freelancer/external employee, I am not obligated to work with them in any work-style whatsoever. Them however, they never really owned up to their mistakes and continued to take it out on me.

 

Secondly, they had based my understanding of graphic design based off their shoddy communication style and accused my work of being basic. I’m sorry, but I’ve been in this field for several years, with success with working with other brands. Telling a designer their work and understanding is basic after what I’ve gone through is an insult and extremely immature. They also took issue with the fact I included the work done with them in my portfolio when no communication was ever given me to say no. I will assume that it will be okay unless you specifically tell me or depending on the company I will ask. I have always asked if work done with a company will be OK to put in a portfolio. Any other company has, especially at larger companies, I had to sign a waiver saying work done with them was to be discreet or secret and that never happened here.

 

They also refused to pay me right way. The main issue was I had done their work and requests within a week to meet a deadline, all the while working at my 9-5 job and during every waking minute. By the end of that week, the person in charge halted the project because they accused me that my short and to the point emails as being hostile and rude… yet, refused to give clear instructions after I asked every single time when they gave instructions. I wasted an ENORMOUS amount of time working on this and my paying hours at my 9-5 was also wasted. You do work, and get paid that’s it. Creativity in a tight span of time is also not an option, it doest not work that way. Creativity takes time and therefore you also have to pay for that time and like any transaction you get the job done and then get paid for it, no if, ands or butts.

 

They also had to hire (and take advantage of) a high school student to finish the job. That is a slap in the face and a testimony to the fact that they do not value time, work and value a trained professional to do the job and wanted something cheap. If they were willing to work with me from the start none of this would have happened. If you wanted something above standard, you PAY for it.

 

I am extremely disappointed in this experience and I am also not ashamed to say that it has affected me emotionally as well as psychologically. It also happened during a period of time that was high-stress in my life and now I seem to be phasing out of that.  The one thing that it has helped me understand is that it’s becoming ever more clear that I need to phase out of freelance work and put that energy into other areas of my artistic practice.

 

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Inquiry, Research, Theory

Research Framework

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I have been reading up on experimental design for biologists and working on a reading repertoire to get caught up on some knowledge before entering this course. Experimental Design for Biologists by David J Glass was recommended to me by one of my scientific advisors. And I’m very glad I am taking the time to read this because it has certainly opened up my mind to how researchers conduct their research! Research itself is very different than artistic practices although artistic practices DO contain some research.

 

The point in the book that I’m at is learning how to build a framework for your research and essentially thinking and that concept has really sunk in especially with my recent strong desires to get really organized. At the moment my framework is LSF (light, sound, form) and identifying its’ existence in the pursuit of proving a special kind of existence. LSF is not a new concept and there have been many researchers before me pursuing various sides of LSF. However, not many of these previous researchers have developed a bit of a framework. It was either for light, sound or form, not for all three.

 

This concept of developing a framework has really stuck with me and made me think about my own research. So far it’s all just been reading about LSF and how art can be applied, but then I thought more about a point/observation I had made several years ago with a colleague of mine. We were talking about the golden ratio and how in many forms in our physical reality contains this number sequence and form. It was peculiar to me because at the same time I had also read a monograph about PI being the intersection of linear and non-linear reality as well as a recent article about ‘golden’ being a reductive word for the word light.

 

Which brought me to the realization/observation that everything in our physical reality is an expression of the golden ratio or light itself and it’s many variations and therefore the investigation of LSF itself. To me LSF transcends the golden ratio, it explains how every physical thing is an expression or an intersection of light. Therefore, my framework would be proving a special kind of existence within the LSF framework in that physical reality is light itself.

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Blog

Happy New Year!

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It’s 2018! I can’t believe it’s already the second week into the new year. This year I am really looking forward to getting my life in order and to really start to organize some sort of routine. Since moving and starting a new job last year I have put a lot of personal projects on the back burner as well as my research. One of the biggest goals of this year is to work on my photography and videography. Therefore, one bigger project this year is to develop a music video for one of my compositions. I am also traveling again, which is extremely therapeutic for me, not to mention a source of huge inspiration. Therefore, I also have at least one trip planned through August and possibly September – which is a mix of PR and personal travel.

 

 

I am also hoping to get back into research writing, and hope to publish at least one article a month on this site and to get back into that way of thinking. Additionally, I also hope to work a practice schedule into everything. I have already started to do this once I moved, since my studio room is still not in order music is one of the few things I can still practice. And finally to get my studio room in order! I’ve started picking out furniture and forming some sort of budget. I hope it will become a small, but mighty room that encompasses everything I do; musical recording, graphic design/photography/videography, and basic laboratory equipment for furthering research. Because of the multifunctional aspect, it’s one of the reasons why I haven’t yet done much to that room as I wanted to really think about how to make the most of the space.

 

 

I haven’t really talked about this because it’s still up in the air as I’m waiting on additional information, but I have the week long Microscopy intensive course at MDI Laboratory in May 2018 as well as the project with the Smithsonian to work on. The SERC project has been put on the back burner at bit after the fail of a fundraiser I had last September. I am regrouping and trying to figure out to cut costs down and to possibly see how I can still make use of the experience but possibly using my studio room and doing the work there, rather than on site, and just travel to Maryland for consultations and other discussions. This is tricky because due to grant restrictions my research has certain fundamental points that I have to stick to, so it can be considered for funding in the future. Additionally, I have been asked to be the publicity chair for the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association and through this group to not only expand my knowledge of mycology but to build a better understanding of scientific and research-based thinking and projects. This group focuses on the citizen science aspect of mycology research.

 

 

As mentioned, for my musical practice, I am also looking around for some sort of musical group to join. Since I haven’t had much practice after graduating college, I don’t feel comfortable enough to join a group just yet, this is why I am going to focus on building up my skills again this coming year and the towards the end of 2018 really start to look for some sort of group. Additionally, I am hoping to exhibit my artwork more in western Mass. I plan to get connected with the Vermont Center for Photography more and plan on submitting a proposal, as well as updating my application materials so I can start to submit them to local galleries. I have missed exhibiting and going to receptions as that is one of the many ways I connect to the greater community not only to establish connections but to learn from others.

 

 

I am also launching an ecommerce store that is essentially an extension of this site. I hope that it will become a place where I can sell artwork and other creative pieces. I have partnered with Copycat Printing in Northampton as a vendor for the printed products of the shop. I have been working with them on and off this past year through my client projects. I am also working with a few other on-demand printing shops such as Gooten for more unique items. I am quite excited about this venture as I think it would create a nice element to my artistic practice.

 

 

Before all of this happens however, there are a few stressors in my life at the time of writing this that I have to resolve that are also financially restricting me. This, I hope to resolve by March/April in 2018. However, before then, I am working on organization and regrouping aspects of my life so when that time comes, I have a better handle of everything. Most people uproot their lives to move across state and/or start a new job; however this has been one of the most difficult transitions for me for many reasons because it seems that I have halted my life. I have cut back on things and reworked things for this new element in my life. I am very happy otherwise to be in western Mass. I have the space that I have been lacking as well as a job that keeps me entertained and look forward to what 2018 brings me.

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Blog

2017 Wrap Up

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Every year I like to do a yearly wrap-up of everything I’ve accomplished or did. And in the new year, do a post on my new goals and dreams for the year.

January

I connected with American Craftsman Galleries, and while they are an official client of mine, the work promised hadn’t really gone anywhere.

February

I signed onto Oranum, a living streaming website for psychic readings. This venture turned out to be more time consuming that it is worth. But I actually do miss doing this, and plan to get back into it eventually once my apartment is setup.

March

I connected with clients Alcon Lighting and About Africa. The later one turned out to be much more work than I could handle and it started at the time that I have my current job. I also established a business relationship with a local printer, which has made my printing services a lot easier to manage.  I had an interview in Montague, MA which ended up falling through but could explore western Mass a bit more.

April

I was hired at River Valley Co-op and I traveled to Putney, VT for a photoshoot.

May

I had no posts documented for May, but I moved to Amherst temporarily before finding my own place.

June

I joined the PVMA – Pioneer Valley Mycological Association and went on several walks. Which included West Chesterfield and Northampton. I also started to go to Brattleboro, VT for darkroom services and made a new set of kirlian images for the first time since Italy. I worked on a food photoshoot for a small Maple Farm in Worthington, MA that was for a cookbook.

July

I drove to Goshen, CT for the New England Balloon Festival to meet up with my New England GLT friends. PVMA had a microscopy workshop.

August

I scheduled a solo show at Northampton City Hall. I also scheduled my first PR trip to Mount Tremper, NY. I bought a microscope and started experimenting with it and taking microscopy images. I went to New Paltz, NY and had my first aura photograph taken. I signed on two clients, Bowflex Barbie Fitness and Kathmandu Infosys.

September

I went on my first PR trip to Mount Tremper, NY and to Emerson Resort and Spa. I was accepted into the Quantive Fluorescent Microscopy intensive course at MDI Biological laboratory for next May. I also ended my longest-standing client relationship of 2.5 years. I attempted to have a fundraiser for the work I’m doing for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

October

I scheduled a PR trip to Switzerland for July of 2018 and traveled to London, England for a week.

November

I had the exhibition for SPE Northeast Conference Group Exhibition and a staff exhibition at River Valley Co-op.

December

So far, I have no posts for December. I have my travel scheduled from January to August of next year and I am excited for what next year brings.

 

Reflections

Bomb Baby

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If there is one time in my life where I could prove my abilities it would be around the time of the Boston Marathon bombing. Typically, I do not like reading on world events because I often feel helpless. I often have psychic dreams of future attacks, and honestly there’s nothing I can do about it other than ignore it and as a result I remember very few of these dreams; no one in power would believe a psychic. Anyway, as we all know the bombing happened on April 15th, 2013; because the nature of the job as a psychic, we were called into the Tearoom to work the following day. I will never forget Boston that day. The T was empty, except for a few brave souls; the streets – once filled with people – were empty. The armed forces at every major entryway and walking around downtown park street; Copley Square station was closed off. Boston, one of the busiest cities in the world had become practically a ghost town. Naturally, the work day was slow, but we were there for counsel for anyone that needed it.

 

To pass time, my co-workers and I would often read each other and play psychic games. One of these ‘games’ was to read on world events, jot it down in our journals and then revisit our interpretation later. It’s a tactic that can help you develop your abilities. At the time, and still to this day, I used the medieval scapini deck – a renaissance-based deck with a lot of symbolism and allegory. My co-worker/mentor at the time was reading with me and we were pulling cards on the marathon situation. Not to sound cocky, but in my opinion to really understand tarot and predicting, one must really understand some organic truths about the universe and I would like to think I have a good handle on these. Through this, I had pulled a specific card. I forget the question exactly, but I think we were just pulling to see what would come out at random – because nothing is ever random in this universe…

 

From the medieval scapini deck, I pulled the 8 of pentacles, in this deck, shows a young man, with crazy dark colored hair; on a ladder looking down at a palette of paint and painting a pentacle. Below him sits a woman with dark hair holding a baby in her hands. Instead of looking at the man, since at the time the bomber’s face was revealed and we were prying for more information; I looked directly at the woman and said out loud to my co-worker, ‘that there’s a woman attached to the bomb’.

 

I interpreted the baby the woman was holding as the bomb (as something she created) and the woman underneath the man as someone who may have controlled him in secrecy. Also the man on the ladder is painting a picture on a pentacle; perhaps painting a deception from what actually happened. At the time, I had just left it at that, since it’s just a game right?

Or so I thought…

 

 

A couple of days following this, my mom had nonchalantly asked me at dinner, if my co-workers at the tearoom and I had come up with any information psychically as I had told her on occasion we did this. I told her that we think there’s a woman attached to the bomb and while working on something a few days later and my mom was preparing dinner, I suddenly heard a loud “OH MY GOD!” from the kitchen. I ran down to see what the noise was about and turned to the TV; there was a news segment about a woman’s DNA found on the Boston bomb. The DNA was identified as Katherine Russell Tsarnaev. While there may have never been a full answer to this DNA of this woman; the publicized answer is that she handled the materials that the bomber used to make the bomb (baby).