꧁ ART & CREATIVE WRITING ꧂
I consider myself to be an eclectic maker, crafter, writer, and artist. I like to experiment with many different artforms, including fiber arts, traditional and digital drawing, watercolor painting, mixed-media collage, dollhouse miniatures, among many other things. Creative writing and music performance have been a part of my life for a very long time, as well, and I have written poetry, short stories, and even one-act plays that have even been performed on stage! One day, my dream is to publish a children's book, and also to create a coloring book out of my isometric room / architectural drawings.
Follow me on instagram @mik.carton for more of my art~
LITERARY PUBLICATIONS
Poetry
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"there once was a girl", Overkill Literary Magazine, Allegheny College, F'15
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"Born in Captivity", Overkill Literary Magazine, Allegheny College, S'15
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"I wanted to believe", Overkill Literary Magazine, Allegheny College, F'14
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"Sensation and Perception", Aeons, Norwin High School, 2013
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"i open upon a blank world", Aeons, Norwin High School, 2012
One Act Plays
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"The Game of Life", Overkill Literary Magazine, Allegheny College, S'16
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"The Vacancy", Aeons, Norwin High School, 2013
Short Stories / Flash Fiction
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"Calm in the Storm", Reflections of Grace, Norwin High School, 2013
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"Emotional Rollercoaster", Aeons, Norwin High School, 2011
THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
The Game of Life (2016) [video]
The Game of Life is a short, one-act play. It features the monologue of a girl, Lucy, who laments her lost childhood, set against a backdrop of her younger, more care-free self playing games with her friends. I wrote and co-directed this play as a part of the Allegheny College Student Experimental Theatre's series of student-written one-acts.
Contains themes related to suicide and mental health.
Review from The Campus newspaper.
Born in Captivity (2015) [video]
Born in Captivity is a poem that I wrote for a women's studies course in college. It was inspired by Marilyn Frye's essay "Oppression" and bell hooks' Feminism is for Everyone, marrying Frye's metaphor of oppression as a birdcage with hooks' ideas of sisterhood and solidarity. It is an evocation of intersectional, revolutionary feminism. It was performed as part of a collective performance art piece entitled "Caged."
DIY Pop Can Planters (2020) [pdf]
This graphic tutorial was created for Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse's social media and the transition to virtual programming at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
PET PORTRAITS
Now accepting commissions for pet portraits!
If you would like me to create a customized digital portrait of your pet like the one of my girl Snickers above, please feel free to send me an email at mwobrak@gmail.com to inquire about my rates! Please send along the following:
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Your pet's name
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At least one photo of them that you would like me to use as reference
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Any specifications about color palette or background
I typically draw these portraits to be 8x10 inches, although if you want a different size we can talk. I also do not have shipping capabilities at the moment, so this commission would be for high quality PNG & print-friendly PDF digital files that you are welcome to use online or get printed on your own if you wish (UPS Stores, FedEx Office, or even your public library are great options for printing).
There are slight variations in my style from portrait to portrait, so check out my instagram @mik.carton to see a number of other examples there to see what style you like.
ART TUTORIALS
Blackout Poetry Tutorial (2020) [video]
I created this video as a celebration of National Poetry Month in April 2020 for Crafton Public Library's social media. Since the library was closed for an extended period of time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and so we had to be creative with how we can continue to bring programming and content to our patrons digitally in this new era of social distancing.
All of the filming, editing, and design were done on my iPad using iMovie and Procreate. Music (free for use) is by Prod. Riddiman.
How Halloween Came to Be: A Pumpkin Paint-Along (2020) [video]
I made this video for Crafton Public Library's social media around Halloween 2020 as a virtual paint-along program. I talk about the historical basis for our modern Halloween traditions while painting my own pumpkin.
American Girl Club: Let's Bake Thumbprint Cookies (2020) [video]
For the Allegheny County Library Association's virtual summer programming, I created this American Girl Club baking tutorial using the book American Girl Baking.
ZINES
Coming Soon.