mediatinker

I joined swap-bot in 2007, played for a few years, then took a break. I'm in an excessively creative mode again and hope to enjoy some swaps in 2019!

I am a dilettante who can do almost anything, but does nothing very well. I counted up all the job roles I've ever had and it totaled 58 (so far). I work as a freelance writer, graphic designer, and IT project manager. I've been living in Japan since 1998 and have been married since 1989.

I'm happy to receive anything in our swaps, but if you wish some guidance, here are a few preferences:

Likes:

Supplies, tools, instructions for any creative project. Consumables. Elegant simplicity, graceful/bold lines, muted colors. Natural materials, bumpy textures, complex patterns. Spicy scents, candles, fresh flowers. Birds, elephants, maps & charts. Books (used, altered, and blank).

Dislikes:

Knick-knacks & dust collectors, mega-brands (i.e. Disney, Louis Vitton, Nike), conventionally cute things, artificial fruity scents & flavors, bright colors, plastic & petrochemical materials.

1930-60s jazz, downtempo techno, female vocalists, quirky world music, and lots more. Not too fond of screechy/saccharine pop artists in Japan or the US.

Fight Club, Pretty in Pink, Amelie, Children of Men, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

I read voraciously. I am fond of girls' adventure stories, like Alice in Wonderland and The Diamond Age. I enjoy science history, science fiction, & historical fiction. I have a secret love affair with mass market spy stories & the sort of "men's fiction" you find at airport bookstores. Excepting cookbooks and art/craft books, I generally avoid textbooks.

I'm not much of a materialist and I prefer minimalist decor, so I stick to making practical items, consumables, and gifts.

I try to start from scratch whenever possible. Slow art!

I enjoy sewing clothes from patterns I draft myself. I work with metal and fiber of all sorts. I attempt knitting and embroidery. I like to draw and paint.

I mostly wear colors in the range of red wines with accents of teal, green, marigold, and orange. As a result, a lot of my art seems to use those same colors.

I read once that color preferences move from inside to outside, so the popular color of this year's car model is the same as the trendy color of underwear from ten years previously. In a decade, I guess I'll have a purple car!

I am currently "mostly vegan", and I have been vegan and vegetarian for about 1/3 of my life, so I tend to love veggies, but my generous neighbors sometimes share their delicious home-cured meats.

I'm unfortunately addicted to sugar. Extremely allergic to scallops. I dislike artificial flavours.

Thinking outside the box is the best. I enjoy trying to develop creative solutions to all kinds of situations. How can I make a meal from three onions, an orange and some elbow macaroni? How can I turn a sheet of paper and 2" of tape into a birthday gift?

Making things by hand (with or without conventional supplies) is great fun. And I am happy when I can explain my rationale, too. Not only sharing What and How, but Why, too. If you really want to make me happy, do something original and tell me all about what, how and why.

I'm currently sewing clothes, binding books, writing a novel, drafting recipes, and writing comical music for ukulele. I have ambitions to start up a local drama group.