a day in the life of melanie from kittenrocket

This week's day in the life post is brought to you by Melanie from Kittenrocket, one of my daily blog reads. Melanie's illustrations are so bright and fun and I really wanted to get to know a bit more about her. Lucky for me she agreed to share a day here on the Sadie blog. She also makes jewelry and has a degree in a field that's related to my own area of study. I'm so happy that people are using these posts to introduce us to their pets, too. I know there are a lot of animal lovers out there. Without further delay, here's a day in Melanie's Montreal life...

It’s hard for me to write about my typical day because my days are very different -- I work part-time at an international NGO promoting women’s rights. I also work on several side projects, related to urban planning, which is what I have a Master’s degree in. On top of that, I try to spend as much time as possible creating things -- photographs, illustrations, paintings, jewelry, writing, knitting… I hope one day to work full-time as an artist and writer, and maybe even to photograph for a really spectacular magazine.

On one of my “creative days”, I am usually woken up by my cat, Fern, who always knows the time when I intend to get up and starts licking me about a half hour before that. The first thing I do is make coffee with my very awesome vintage Pavoni espresso machine – one of the best gifts I have ever received. While I drink coffee, I usually look at interesting pictures on the Internet. Lately, I am trying to listen to the radio in the morning in French. I live in Montreal, which is in a French-speaking province. Most people here speak English and French and I have had a hard time improving my French in the last few years (I have been lazy). I am really working on my second language these days…

After coffee I try to answer emails and categorize all the things that need to be done in the different parts of my life (Fern helps a lot). Then I might work on an illustration or on some other design-related contract and try to update my blog. After lunch I usually get pretty restless in my small apartment and go for a walk to work in a café in my neighbourhood. Montreal is brutally cold in the winter so I have to spend about 5 minutes layering up before leaving the house. Whenever I go out around the neighbourhood, I try and take one of my film cameras. I have a couple of plastic toy cameras and a Leica point-and-shoot that I got from a thrift store for $2.00. These are my regular choices.

I like taking pictures of things that get left out on the streets. I also love taking pictures of the contrast between old/new and industrial/handmade – there are so many strange juxtapositions of this sort in Montreal.

In the evening I try to work out and see friends for dinner or a drink. If I stay in at night I usually paint or knit and I try to watch some French TV. At the moment the snow is SLOWLY melting here and the sun is shining. Soon everyone will be out on the streets in Montreal and I will be incorporating a lot of sitting out on my balcony or on terraces into my daily schedule… it’s a tough life :)

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures with us, Melanie. I really have to get to Montreal again sooner rather than later! Be sure and visit Melanie's blog and shop! Next week's day in the life post will feature the multi-talented Kait from Yuppie Love. Fun times!

a day in the life of rebecka from AB synth industries

 

Rebecka is a fellow landscape architecture student that I met last year when she came to the school I go to on exchange. We had some amazing times involving pickled eggs, nachos, and Joe Montana. I really wish Rebecka was still here in Vancouver, but now I have a good reason to visit Sweden. These photos give me about 12 new reasons to want to go there, too. Let's take a look-see...

On my bike. Malmö. Sweden.

I’m happy to share my morning bike ride, through my city, with you. It’s one of the highlights of my day, moving, passing and thinking, time dimensions intertwined. The 20 minutes bike ride always takes longer. This is what I see…

First, the horrifying view of the demolition of the landmark and Scandinavia’s largest Ferris wheel, one of the few chances to get a view over my flat city. It’s a great loss for the city and its people. I’ve been observing the dismantling and people who observe the dismantling.

I pass the legal graffiti wall and the now so empty plank that later gets filled with music. On the other site of the road a construction site with the worst housing project appears and remind me of the gentrification process the neighborhood is facing. A few months ago this site was derelict and later became a political art project with shacks against capitalism and homelessness. I was invited to share a soda with one of the temporary dwellers.

My mood takes a positive turn when I bike around the corner and this beautiful former church approaches me, it glows in the night and consists of dancing people and once it was filled with my papier mâché animals for The Very Best concert.

The historical city center, the large squares, the statues of fat men on horses and hordes of biking people, all that I have to pass. Later the waterfront, a place that once consisted of one of the world’s largest dock for constructing ships, now a university and polished offices. My office, together with flourishing cultural expressions, like last summer with an extravagant dance show. And all the restaurants have pictures of the old industrial site.

At last the dreaming view that sometimes makes it hard to concentrate on office related tasks. It changes constantly, weather and enormous boats. 9 h to Finland, announced with loud speakers that fills the entire harbor.

The city moves. So do I.

Thank you Sarah for letting me borrow your bike in Vancouver!


Thank you Rebecka for sharing these beautiful photos and you were brave to ride that bike I lent you! Check out Rebecka's blog AB synth industries, too. And, please, come back to Canada soon! Next week's guest post will be from Melanie of Kittenrocket. Check back!