“Slumber Party” by Stephanie Khattak. iPad and Apple pencil in Procreate.
I wasn’t allowed to call boys when I was growing up. To do so was a sin worse than murder. I might was well have been dancing on tables in my bathing suit. But that didn’t stop me from calling boys, I just found a loophole – prank calls. Probably because I didn’t actually know how to talk to boys like a normal person since doing so was such a Big Deal.
Anyway, we spent most slumber party nights on the phone dialing out with made-up scenarios, intriguing lines of questioning, new and exciting personas and in some cases, multi-call serial dramas. We even did sort of spoken word bits to different types of background music. (No, not rapping. Not nearly that cool.)
My friend had a Swatch “funky twin” phone making it easy to group up on the call. Of course this was before anything digital, like star-69 or even saving numbers in Contacts. I kept doing it into college, and only stopped when my friend and I got bored and called a random person while were were vacationing in Florida only to have him call back (justifiably) pissed off and asking for the person we were staying with, by name. That was our introduction to caller ID and the last time I ever prank called anyone.
To this day, prank calling was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. We were never hurtful or harassing, and in retrospect, it was probably entertaining for some. Like their own, personal, interactive podcast, just with more giggling.
“Shiny, Happy People” by Stephanie Khattak. iPad Pro and Apple Pencil using the Procreate app. Animated in Photoshop.
I had a friend, let’s call her “Michelle.” We were always mistaken for twins although we were polar opposites of each other. She is blonde and tan, I am pale, with very dark hair. If she is California, then I am New York City. Or Transylvania.
But, we are both tall and we went everywhere together. Like Gori and Washimi in the anime “Aggretsuko.” (We wish, haha.)
Michelle and I discovered the “alterna-kid” lifestyle at the same time, which coincided with our year on the Pre-Drill dance team.
On Pep Rally days, we had to wear what the general population called “chicken suits.” They were about what you’d expect for a small town school in the early 90s and by that I mean MODEST and poorly-fitted: a loose, polyester leotard with puffed sleeves and a high neckline, topped by a full, circle skirt that was too short to lay right and too long to be flattering or alluring in any way. And they were really, really yellow, accented with purple, including purple bows in our fluffy, teased hair, which didn’t really help with the chicken comparisons.
By the third month of high school, we had made cool new friends: guys and gals who wore plaid, combat boots and thrift-store t-shirts. Most days, we wore these things too. (Sporadically, since our parents had just spent money on “normal” back-to- school clothes that they wanted their money’s worth out of.)
But on Pep Rally day, we were were two baby chickens in a cloud of bats. We were “alternative,” dammit! That wasn’t going to change just because we sometimes had take a break from stringing beads and scribbling penciled Morrissey lyrics on the sidewalk to shake pom-poms and kick our legs in formation.
Maybe we weren’t the only “alternative” kids on the dance team, because some of our show pieces were choreographed to alternative rock. Including R.E.M.’s “Shiny, Happy, People,” complete with Happy Faces on sticks. Although it’s possible that someone in charge just didn’t have a firm grasp of irony (some say the song is based on Chinese propaganda posters.) Or, maybe they did, and Michelle and I weren’t the only ones sneaking in small rebellions back then! Who’s to say, really.
Anyway, fast-forward to that May, neither Michelle nor I were chosen to advance to the varsity squad. I would like to say I was too cool to care, but I wasn’t. I was devastated! I believe I may have even fallen to the floor, “railing at God” style.
We had practiced for hours! We had shown leadership and displayed team spirit! We had done everything that was asked of us! Maybe we weren’t the best, but now it was implied that we were among the worst? Just because when we did a drill turn to the left in our auditions, we ended up facing each other? Or some other minor offense? No way. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
But here’s what happened after that.
We continued to hang out with our friends, having adventures and those minor, essential, thrilling rebellions. We had more time to explore our personal preferences, discovering more different types of music, books, trends and movies that weren’t really mainstream in East Texas. We developed our own unique tastes and perspectives.
We had more energy and mental space to pursue other extra-curriculars that we really enjoyed, like Future Homemakers of America. We fit in and excelled there, volunteering with special needs kids, competing at conferences and learning life skills that I, personally still use.
I even tried out again the following year. I didn’t advance that time, either, but my life was much more full and diverse then. I was briefly and appropriately sad, and then hung up my dance shoes for good to focus on other things.
In the big picture, Michelle and I weren’t meant for the dance team, and that was okay. First because it had to be, and then because it just was.
Taking a cue from Stipe and co., eventually we took that disappointment and “Put it in (our) heart where tomorrow shines.”
There’s a saying about “gracefully letting go of things not meant for you.” At the time, I didn’t let go of that part of my life as gracefully as I should have, but in my defense, I was 15 and kind of dramatic histrionic.
But maybe Michelle and I weren’t meant to be “Shiny, Happy People,” ironically or otherwise. Maybe we weren’t meant to be two more chickens when we had other lives waiting just outside the coop.
“Inspired by Lizzo in Marc Jacobs” by Stephanie Khattak.
“Camp [is] larger than life, all fun and games—don’t take it too seriously, darling!” -Lizzo in Vogue.
“Inspired by Kacey Musgraves as Barbie in Moschino” by Stephanie Khattak.
The Met Gala’s red carpet is always a lot of fun to see. Each year, the theme changes to match the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fashion exhibition, and “Camp” is the theme for 2019.
I found favorite looks faster than my drawing skills can keep up with, so there are a lot of screen shots saved for later. These were two of my favorite pink ladies.
We’re going on our annual trip to NYC next month, and the “Camp” exhibition is definitely on our itinerary! I’m sure I’ll come back with even more inspiration.
These are digital paintings made with the Apple Pencil and Procreate app on an iPad Pro.
“Star Wars Dancer” by Stephanie Khattak. Created with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate app. Animated in Photoshop.“Coco Dancer” by Stephanie Khattak. Created with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using the Procreate App. Animated with Photoshop.
This past weekend, I went home to East Texas to watch my best friend’s daughters in their annual spring dance show. It had been ages since I had been to a dance recital, and I really enjoyed watching the dancers and seeing their beautiful costumes. (I also really enjoyed watching my 85-year old grandfather try to make sense of an interpretive dance of “Paul Blart, Mall Cop,” but that’s another story for another day!)
Despite a decade of dance lessons, I was denied a spot on my high school dance team both times that I auditioned. The only dance I was ever any good at was Appalachian clog dancing, but I was GREAT at it. I was on a showcase team and even today could probably clog circles around any other sedentary 43-year old who wanted to challenge me. Oddly specific, but true.
Anyway, I took so many photos and videos of Saturday night’s performances, and immediately tried to recreate some of my favorites once I was back home. These were two standouts: “Star Wars” opened the show because it was on May 4, (May the fourth be with you….) and “Coco” was so pretty with the dancers’ face paint, flower crowns and beautiful full skirts.
These were fun to draw and animate – maybe I’ll do more soon!
“Flower Power” by Stephanie Khattak. Acrylic Gouache, Watercolor and Metallic Drawing Ink on Paper. 2019.
I don’t paint many still lifes (still lives?), preferring instead the gesture and movement of figurative drawings. But I’ve noticed that every six months or so, my style and preferences evolve a bit. I wouldn’t say they ‘level up,’ because that means that one is better than the other, or that I enjoy painting one more, and other than improving as an artist, there’s not that much of a change. Maybe a better phrase is “level across.”
This potted plant isn’t found in nature. I started it because I had some new paints I wanted to test out. (Holbein Acryla Gouache.) I do like the way it turned out, though. I enjoyed filling in the pattern, and the flowers remind me of butterflies!
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