"Spicestar" - Gallery: Motifs
Hi everyone... So, I think I might finally be experiencing what I have heard so many already speak about: Steemit burnout. Well, actually, it feels like a more general sort of burnout. No matter what I am doing, my brain just feels kinda fried, so I'm not doing anything with my usual gusto. Even students have been asking me what the matter is...
So I've gone down a few gears the last few days. Not rushing back home to make sure I finish that post before having to attend whatever show on Discord. Lying in my hammock and not thinking about how I could be improving in this or doing something cool in that. Actually watching Netflix without feeling guilty because I'm not doing something productive.
And I've now begun thinking of how I can work some relax-time into my schedule while at the same time using that time for more than just relaxation. Recently, I've had it suggested that I could start streaming when I play No Man's Sky. I think that might be perfect. And I might expand that to streaming other games too, since I have a ton of them sitting in my Steam account that I haven't even looked at yet. My only doubt is whether anyone would watch me...
Anyway... That was all just a long way of telling you why I'm so late with this "Monday Mandala" post ;P ... Hope you like it! =)
Spicestar
~~
Gallery: Motifs
Max. Print Size: 28" x 28"
“The future remains uncertain and so it should, for it is the canvas upon which we paint our desires. Thus always the human condition faces a beautifully empty canvas. We possess only this moment in which to dedicate ourselves continuously to the sacred presence which we share and create.”
-- Frank Herbert, Children of Dune
“You don’t need to be the tide to rise and fall,
you don’t have to be a wave to touch the shore;
just be a little sand-grain and feel them all.”
-- Munia Khan
“If you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!”
-- Frank Herbert, Dune Messiah
Song of the Day : Dargaard - Thy Fleeing Time
Creating this was quite a different process from what I usually do... As I say above, I've recently been taking things a lot easier, with my brain feeling a little overheated, so I actually took days to get this mandala done, and also, I wasn't really fretting over showing the creative process like I usually do.
Plus, I had no theme in mind as I searched through shapes and colours for something I liked. So as I worked, many different ideas came to mind... Mostly generic fractal themes likes waves and seashells.
In the end though, the colours that grabbed me most were my usual favourites; Golds and browns. With that, at some point, I thought of desert sands, and imagined the mandala being a single grain of sand spliced through so that you could see the crystalline shapes within.
And then, deserts lead my mind to Dune, and the Spice Melange.
He who controls the Spice controls the Universe.
Anyway, as I said, I wasn't really mindful of documenting the creative process, so I did this GIF afterward, showing more or less how I discovered "Spicestar" ... I did actually zoom in a lot to find complex shapes before tweaking any parameters. The maths gets crazy at those deeper levels (and thus it took longer than usual to render it).
I used another NASA image for the diffuse colour map:
Oh, and look what I just found in my screenshots folder. It seems I did think about showing the creative process at least once. This was close to the end, where I was cutting out the edgy bits:
And now for the details, as always...
At full resolution, it can be printed up to 28 x 28 inches (about 70cm x 70cm) :
And that's it. I hope you're all having a better week/month than I am so far! They say that this passes so, I'll wait patiently for my brain to get back to normal... I kinda need it to do stuff. ;P
And everyone, if you want to buy this or any other design of mine, you can check out my site, Mandelsage.com, for details =) ... And I am open to doing commissions too! How about a mandala based on your personality? ;)
Thank you for your upvote 💖
~~
A few recent posts of mine:
No Man's Sky - 007 - New Multi-Tool or Bust! | ULOG: 007 - Floating | Andromedala - Gallery: Motifs
~~
If you'd like to support me further, or follow me elsewhere, I'm on these social media:
Patreon | Instagram | Facebook
All Images, Copyright @Mandelsage - All rights reserved (unless otherwise specified).
Before using bidbots, consider that they are generally bad for the long-term health of the Steemit ecosystem, and that many manual curators will not consider posts using bidbots for curation. Instead, try joining communities, engaging authentically, and earning more and more organic votes over time =) ... The best post I've found explaining this controversial topic is by Luke Stokes - click here to go to his post.
That is so frikkin' cool!!!
I may just have to consider commissioning a mandala...... 🤔
Thank you, Peter! =) And I'm very happy you're so impressed with it that you're considering a commission. Let's talk about it in Discord? ^^
A warm home for all Steemians. Join us =) We have apples and cookies!
I always thought "Andromedala" is my favorite, but now I am not sure anymore @mandelsage, "Spicestar" is so beautiful and I love the sand color tones so much ... and I LOVE DUNE!!! Maybe Steem is my Spice now :)
Thank you, Anutu! I felt the same way, actually. But in the end, I decided Andromedala was still my favourite, with this one and "Glowflake" coming in at close seconds ;P
And always wonderful to meet another Dune fan!! ^^ ... Have you read everything? I read all Frank's books, plus all the prequels+sequels by his son Brian Herbert (written with Kevin J. Anderson).
Heh... Steem is a poor substitute for Spice... But hey, fun to think of it that way! ;P .. Would you just love to exist in the Dune universe? Something about the Fremen desert way of life attracts me greatly, despite the hardships.
I truly have read everything (at least I thought so up to now) and seen the movie and the different tv series. But now I see you mentioned a sequel by his son Brian ... I never ever heard of this ... WOWOWOWOW
Looks like I have something cool to read in the near future!!!
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! I would love to step over to the Dune World ....the desert is very appealing to me as well. There was a time I worked in the Middle East for one of the Sheiks and created parts of a sustainable nature resort in the middle of the desert ... I sat within the sand dunes for days and just observed the moving sand ... that was a moment that was very important for me @mandelsage ...
Oh wow... I am envious of your experience. The closest I've ever come to that was climbing a few big sand dunes at L'Agulhas in South Africa, but at an age when I didn't really appreciate the beauty of them. Plus not quite the same as desert dunes!
About the sequels, just remember, they're Brian Herbert, not Frank... most people didn't like his style and ending of his father's genius work. I thought it was okay but yeah, I agree with most: If only Frank had lived to finish it all!
@mandelsage - That was a special time in my life and it was all a kind of surreal time, honestly. I just started as a designer and had my first fair that has featured my work. The next day I had several clients from all over the world. One was the Sheik of Dubai/ UAE, he loved my work so much that he invited me to the desert ... some week later I sat in a plane to go there ... it was adventurous ... his plans were to create a nature retreat resort village in the middle of the desert for the Oryx Antelopes and other species that were nearly erased from the planet. And for the guest to live with animals in the mid of this huge reserve area. At the beginning he just wanted me to sit in the desert and meditate ... this is what I did ... for a long time ...
This was the result ... https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g6351830-d302789-Reviews-Al_Maha_A_Luxury_Collection_Desert_Resort_Spa-Murqquab_Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html
Frank Herbert definitely was a genius! Did you ever read Philip K. Dick's novels?
that close up almost looks like it was made on wood! so beautiful!
and DUUUUUUNE. i need to buy this movie right now hahahahaha such an amazing movie! :)
i never read the book though! only remember watching the movie with my mom hahaha
O.O ...
Forget the lynch movie, please, lol. (You're actually lucky you saw the movie before without having read the books... Had you read them first, you would have hated the movie, like all the rest of us ;P)
I'd recommend you do what ended up happening with me:
Watch the miniseries (the one with William Hurt as Leto Atreides)
Then read the prequels ("House Atreides", "House Harkonnen" and "House Corrino") by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
THEN read the genius works of Frank Herbert himself: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune
;)
And thank you! =)
Ahhhh see? Well.i was just a child when I saw the films so I didn't know any better! Hahahahahhaa
Posted using Partiko Android
Thanks @bluefinstudios ;) ... And lol, yes dreem, you aren't to blame! Your mom, though... ;P
Actually, I'd say if you're really going to get into it, before reading the prequels, read the pre-prequels, the 3 books of the Legends of Dune series ;)
A wise bit of sage advice!
good order, and good recommendations
Wait, it's Monday ?!?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo
XP
Beautiful Mandala ! I've definitely got to test out that tool your using one of these days :)
lol... Monday's aren't so bad ;P
Thank you, Peter. You definitely should! And when you do, just reach out on Discord and I can show you the ropes if you like. Although there are now tons of tutorials available... Will try find the compilation. I did one myself actually... mandelubber.blogspot.com .. But it was years ago.
Nothing remains the same but it is always the same. What a rip off!!
Don't miss this exciting opportunity. You too can be a winner.
Just stop living your real life and get on line and "interact with thousands from around the world."
Better yet live stream your own life and be rewarded.
I mean to be sarcastic, but with an uplifting smile.
lol... Hi Chris! Thanks for making me smile ^^
Yeah, I really do need to balance things a bit. At least I am now starting to get organised with my art in "real life" ... I visited a printer day before yesterday so now I'm 90% ready to start self-promotion. Just need to see about certificates of authenticity from Hahnemuhle, the paper company. Exciting times.
Greetings
Hi .. Welcome to Steemit ^^ ... Just a tip: Leaving one-word comments is often frowned upon ;) ... Hehe. How did you find my post?
Congratulations @mandelsage! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
You got a 39.09% upvote from @ocdb courtesy of @mandelsage!
Hello @mandelsage, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!