Melis's questions:
1. 3 living things you treasure
My husband Ned, who I live, work and have fun with, we were living apart for the first year of our relationship, me in Israel and him in New York. Ever since I moved to New York, we only parted for a couple of hours at a time. I love spending all my time with him.
My Sister who is the person I measure myself against (and mostly come up short) she's talented and smart and one of the kindest people I know. Being that we share the same background, looking at her and her life gives me a much clearer image of myself than looking in the mirror does.
My other sister, who is probably the most creative person I ever came across and the most beautiful one. We have 10 years between us and it always amaze me to see her as a grownup, I keep expecting her to be a child still. It's pretty cool to follow a person's life since they started it and see what a cool person she grew up to be.
2. 3 non-living things that you treasure
When I moved to NY, I shipped a couple of boxes before but basically came to a new country with 2 suitcases. I decided to take only useful things and leave the sentimental stuff behind. I'm trying not to get too attached to objects and the items I do treasure are mostly because they are useful so:
My xsi canon rebel. I got it from Ned for my last birthday, it's my first non point-and-shoot camera and it totally changed how I see (and document) the world and myself.
A pilot G-TEC-C4 pen, which is a basic gel pen really, I've been told by an art teacher not to draw with those since they aren't meant for art making, but I do use it for making art so there! those were really easy to get in Israel, but moving to NY, I went on a big quest for finding them. I tried a lot of pens and this has always been my favorite.
My glasses. I'm blind without them...
3. favorite time of the year and why
I love summer! I hate it when it's cold, I hate having to wear a million layers, I love sweating and I love sleeping naked, so it's definitely summer for me!
4. favorite things to wear
I keep wishing I had better fashion sense or the energy and patience to dress nicely, but really, I'm both not brave enough nor do I have the inclination. 9 out of 10 days it's jeans and sneakers for me. Most of my clothes are either found or come from the salvation army store. I really like wearing a whole outfit that cost less then $5. I also love those dresses that you don't have to wear anything else with, just throw them on and you are done. In the summer, that's probably what I wear the most.
5. are you a perfume wearer ? If yes, which one? / top 3 favorite smells
I don't anymore. when i did my favorite was flower by kenzo. I also don't use deodorant, hair conditioner or body lotion and the cosmetics I do use, like shampoo, face lotion and soap are all scentless. I like the natural smell of the body, and I like knowing what my personal body smells like, my sense of smell and taste became much more keen since I stopped using scented products.
My favorite smells are: Motor oil, rubber cement glue (though you aren't supposed to sniff it, but it really smells great), and fresh orange blossom.
6. favorite animal
Most of my art involves drawing animals, I really love birds and all sorts of forest creatures. Last year we had a big motorcycle trip down the Appalachian mountain range and I got to see some animals in the wild, it was an amazing experience to see deer and fox and vultures not in a photograph. I think my favorites are: Fox, owl and raven - it's also the 3 tattoos that i have.
7. top three events in your life(so far)
Meeting Ned for the first time in JFK airport. We'd been talking online for 4 months, it was the first time i went on a plane on my own and the longest flight i've ever been on. I had no idea how it was going to go, what was going to happen, or if we'd even like each other in person. It ended up with us kissing on the floor of the airport for 45 minutes. Later on I found out that a bunch of orthodox Jewish ladies were marching around us and giving us dirty looks, but I didn't notice it at the time.
My own art show in Vespine gallery in Chicago. It made me feel like this whole being an artist thing can actually happen and that who knows, I might have a chance at living my wildest dream.
Moving into an apartment of my own, this followed the most difficult time in my life, after my ex left me and my family had a huge crisis. I found myself ,after thinking I already had made all my choices, starting over. Thirty,scared, single and not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I had to learn how to listen to myself and focus on what I want for me in life. I remember a moment of sitting in that apartment on the weekend thinking "What do I want to do now?" and not even knowing where to look for answers. It really taught me a lot about myself.
8. top three favorite small pleasures
Listening to Audio books - I love them, I love hearing literature read to me and i love being able to "read" while using my hands to make art. I almost always listening to audio books when I draw or else I sink deeply into my own anxiety and thought and I can't focus on making art.
Breakfast - we always have it out, there are a few restaurants in our neighborhood that we both love. We get out of the house, sit somewhere, eat and talk about what we intend to work on today and what we dreamed about last night and just take our time and wake up slowly till the brain kicks into gear. It's the good food outside, but more then that, it's seeing some familiar faces, feel the weather and get in touch with the world after the long sleep. After that I can go back to the apartment and work till I go to sleep, but I like taking my time in the morning.
The internet - it's a pretty big pleasure! I'm not a very social person and working at home made me very much a hermit. The internet is the main way I get exposed and expose myself to the world. I spend a lot of time on flickr, read about 20 blogs or so, check etsy way too often, read a lot of news, especially on the Israeli websites, and just wander around.
9. top 3 favorite places in the world( you have visited or would like to visit)
I love Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which is where I'm living now, honestly, if I had to design a neighborhood that would suit my needs and desires, this would be it. It's full of young cool people, and has a great, though quiet vibe. Everyone here talks about gentrification and how sad it is that the neighborhood is changing, which is true, but I still love living here. It's comfortable and exciting and beautiful.
My true city love however, will always be reserved for Tel Aviv, which is where I spent most of my adult life. Israel is a very strange place and I feel like Tel Aviv encapsulates everything that I love about it - it's diverse, creative, fun, very gritty in places, and feels like a pressure cooker most of the time. It's a perfect mixture of western and middle eastern cultures, and it's got a beach, which I love. I really miss it.
I love traveling in the United State. I know a lot of people who moved to New York and never left the city to see other places. I feel really lucky that I got to see how people live in other-than-NYC places. Right now my dream destination is a big motorcycle ride from NY to The Salt Flats in Utah for speed week. I'm not even that interested in car racing, it's mostly the idea of a very long bike ride across most of the USA with a cool destination in mind and meeting a bunch of people who are very obsessed with a specific thing.
10. top 3 favorite sounds
The boil of the Italian coffee pot - it means that a) I'm about to have coffee. b)I'm too late to have really great coffee cause it's not supposed to boil.
The mac system sound for emptying the computer trash can, I sometimes throw out files just to hear the noise (a bit pathetic right?!)
Ned's fake accents, they all sounds like an Indian accent and it always makes me laugh.
11. top 3 favorite things to eat
Eggs in any shape or form, if only it wasn't so bad for you, I would eat eggs for every meal.
Pasta, especially the artichoke and sun dried tomatoes spaghetti at Kenny's
Mac&Cheese, there's truly nothing better in life.
12. 3 favorite favorites right now! (from etsy or elsewhere)
This is hard! there are just so many... As I said, I spend so much time every day on etsy, and a lot of that time goes into looking at other's people's art and being envious of their awesome talents. But I guess there are a few that I'm really into lately:
marysgranddaughter
CB78
Rudolf Kurz
13. 3 small ways someone has made your day lately
A beautiful girl named molly commented on my flickr page over a painting called I wish I could make friends more easily: " think you have many more friends than you realize. My co-worker was looking at the New York magazine story with your bottles, and without any thought I said, "Oh! My friend Aya made those! Isn't that exciting!"... it only crossed my mind later that I consider you my friend although we have not met. " This made me cry with happiness.
This is feedback I got yesterday on Etsy:
"This mug deserves a rating better than "positive" -- How about "extraordinary"?! When I unwrapped your package this morning, I broke into a huge smile. It's even lovelier than the picture portrays! I immediately washed it and poured a cup of coffee. Time slowed for me as I held it and I felt as though the world outside my window had alighted at my kitchen table. Everything about it -- drawings, color, shape -- sings. Thank you for packing it so carefully, shipping it so promptly, and especially for creating it with joy and whimsy!"
This one also made me cry in happiness (it was sort of an emotional week...)
A cool girl recognized me and Ned and said "I know you, you are the Rosen's, I love your photography" - which made me feel like a celebrity!
14. 3 small habits/quirks you have that make you specifically you!
I rub my knees when I have to talk in front of a crowd which make me look like some strange pervert...
I can't go more than 2 or 3 days without drawing or my hands itch and I get bitchy.
when I'm anxious or nervous I tie knots in my hair.
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