Damien Mason

A big thanks to Lelia Thomas for featuring me on her Artist Spotlight Friday.  I love the title of “craft artist”

This is my entry in the Infinite Future Chaos photoshop creative challenge

Available as a print over at redbubble
http://www.redbubble.com/people/damienmason/art/213619-1-love-and-destruction

Available as wallpapers
600 x 800
1024 x 768
1280 x 1024

tags: redbubble

Ok, thanks to a stellar effort from Cheryl all our crafted toys now have names.  Well.. almost all of them.  The only one lacking a name is the brown dude seen here (or in the original illustration here).

So I’m hoping you can help me.  Please post any name suggestions in the comments here.  The best name will get selected and I’ll also post a link back to your website on the post.

tags: monsters

tags: monsters

A huge thanks to the delightful Lyndsay Meager for sending me a couple of awesome plushy books and badges. If you’re interested in having badges made (or other graphic design work of course) I’d recommend checking out Lyns, she is quite the champion.  And she is made from rainbows!

Now I really want to hunt down some vintage fabrics and cool buttons..

Cereal (smaller bowl) - 2.5
Home made lamb kebab - 6.5 (120g lamb - 3, lebanese bread - 3, tzatziki - 0.5, salad)
Crumpets with vegemite - 2.5 (1 per crumpet, 0.5 for small marg)
Apple - 1
Home made pizza 1/2 - 7
Ice cream - 6
Total: 25.5

1 hour iaido - 4
Total: 4

Food over: 20, Exercise over:10

Bugger. Ah well, the week starts again tomorrow.

Cereal - 3
50g chips - 5.5
1/2 cake - 4
Sushi (2 rolls) - 4
Tart - 4.5
Noodle soup - 3
Crumpets - 3
Total: 27

45 minutes brisk walk - 5
Total: 5

Food left: 5.5, Exercise over: 6

Cereal with milk - 3
Lollies - 4
Tim tam - 2
2 chicken, cheese and sweet chili sauce pitas - 6
Fish - 3.5
Rice - 2.5
Steamed Veges - 0
Ice cream - 4.5
Fruit -1
Total: 26.5

30 minute brisk walk - 4
Total: 4

Food left: 32.5, Exercise over: 1

Toast with small amount of margarine and vegemite - 3
Small glass of juice - 1
Lollies - 3
Steak and cheese 6 inch sub - 6.5
Apple - 1
Chinese food (small serve of meat and rice) - 8
Toast - 3
Milk - 1
Chocolates - 2.5
Total: 29 (whoops!)

30 minute brisk walk - 4
Total: 4

Food left: 59, Exercise left: 3

Ok, I thought I might put in a post here about the techniques that have helped me stay motivated while exercising.  I’ve started and eventually abandoned pretty much everything, walking, jogging, the gym, so I’ve got a fair idea what has helped keep me going.

Choose something you already have to do and add exercise to that.  For example, I have to walk to work every day.  There’s no way to get out of it.  So to extend that walk in the morning by half an hour is a relatively simple thing.  I found when I would come home with plans to head out for a walk or a jog or whatever “later” too much else would come up and i’d never do the exercise. Before or right after work (before you get home) is a great time to do something.

Pick a time each day to do your exercise and stick to it no matter what.  I found this was a problem when I was jogging.. i started off great, going for a 20 minute jog at 7pm.  But then I missed one.. and then I missed a few more.  Soon enough I had given up on it without even realising.  The same thing happened with the gym. If you tell yourself “this is what I have to do and there’s no other option” then it’s much easier - you’ll just do it.  And if you tie it to something else you have to do.. well, there’s no excuse

Start a sport with regular classes.  Ok, obviously for me this is Iaido.  It’s awesome because it’s like surprise extra exercise.  You’re doing it for the sport, not the health, so it’s a bonus.  Find something you want to do.. and if it’s a team sport even better, because then you have the motivation of not wanting to let your team down.  I’m not sure the gym or pilates count for this so much because they’re basically exercise (although if you’re doing pilates for a reason other than improving health then it would be ok).. you need to do the exercise without feeling like you’ve done it.

Take away chances to avoid or lessen the exercise.  A trick I have is to have my entire walk take the half hour, instead of doing laps.  I think if I had 15 minute laps it would be too tempting to give up after one, and if they were ten minute laps i guarantee I’d only ever do two.  By the time i start getting tired, at the 15 minute mark, I’m too far away to turn around and go back In the past I’ve done the same - walk 15 minutes in one direction, and then you have to walk home again.  Walk down a hill so you have to go back up.

Start easy, and do something you enjoy.  I think that’s the most important thing… you don’t need to run 5kms every day, you don’t need hours of weight training.  You just need half an hour every day to go for a walk and see the scenery.  It’s really not that much to ask, but if you did it 6 times a day that’s your week’s exercise sorted.  And then add to that gym time or pilates or walking the dog or gardening or whatever and you’re doing wonderfully.  If you make it a chore you’ll find ways to get out of it, you’ll resent when you have to do it, and you’ll never stick to it.

I hope that helps anyone who is reading it.  Let me know what you thought of it.  I have another motivation post planned for later in the week too