Art Life | Andrea Mai

PANDEMIC DIARY: MORE MASK MASKING & EVP – P’s BIRTHDAY, June 7, 2020

As I am writing this, I have load of mask orders that just came in. So I am posting this before my head starts to spin from all the sewing, as I will be too busy to write.

Store in my area have re-operned, as Phase 2 was announced. They are taking social distancing and sanitary precautions, of course. But still to be honest, I don’t want to spend very long in the shops. I just want to get what I’m looking for and get out. No excessive browsing.

Although I was already working from home before the pandemic. Having to stay home has left me more focused on getting things done. I used to waste time going out to browse in shop. It was honestly to cure a bit of boredom. Now the only cure for boredom is to be busy by doing something, like housework.

I’ve continued to add more mask styles to my Easy shop. I’ve been hearing feedback from customers that they appreciate the small touches that I add to their orders. I’ve also been told that I have the best fitting masks that they’ve tried. They tell me that my masks are well made and comfortable to wear. Many people have accumulated a number of masks from different suppliers, but they like mine the best. I feel very proud to offer something that people value.

I’ve continued to record EVP, but I don’t have much time to review them. I recorded EVP on the day of P’s birthday last month. I recorded some while I was waiting in the car while we were running errands.

The following clips are quite quiet because they were recorded when I was in the by myself. However, they are still audible, even on my laptop speakers. Though they are better heard on a pair of good headphones. The clips are repeated on loop.

Someone seemed to be chatting to P, They asked him, “When did you die?”. P answered, “2016”.

They asked him about how he died. And then P asked, “How about you?”.

Whoever this person was, answered “COVID-19”. This is the first I have gotten of a spirit saying they died from this. It’s really sad, as this means it was a recent death.

They commented, “Like your t-shirt”. I was wearing a Prince shirt that day. P replied “That’s me”.

They asked, “Are you Prince?”. P said, “Yes”.

I think P might have offered them cookies. “There’s cookies”.

They said, “Thank you”. This clip is quite shocking to me, how loud and clear this clip is. You can tell, it’s not from a living voice. You can hear me in the background typing on my iPad.

Later, that night, I had a little dance party in my bedroom with P. I was playing a live stream of P’s music hosted by PRN Alumni. Somebody commented, “They’re having a dance party“.

It goes without saying that we are living in terrible times. And yet, I am not surprised. As a believer in the Bible, studying Revelations has made me cognoscenti that we are living in the last days before Christ’s return. These trying times must occur as according to prophecy.

After all this time in lockdown and all, cases are still occurring because the spread of the virus continues. It is disturbing, that people in the West refuse to wear masks. Unlike people in Asia, people are intolerant of being told to wear masks. They are defiant of government recommendations. This comes as no surprise to me, as I do not believe that one can just expect the public to simply chose to do things in the interest of others. It is only recently that in my city and other major cities in Canada, that masks are being made mandatory in all public indoor spaces and public transportation.

All this could go on for quite some time. It would be wise to prepare supplies while it is easily available, and just accept the fact that we’re going to have to lay low for an extended periodd of time.

Stay safe, everyone.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on June 7, 2020.

Image above: “Mask Sewing” by Andrea Mai.

I HAVE THREE ANGELS – EVP June 10, 2020

Not much new has happened since the last post. It’s been more of the same thing; staying at home, sewing masks, social distancing, etc. Stores that have its own external entrance have been allowed to open for a while already, but I only walked into my local Winners last week. When I did, I found it very empty, it looked like a going-out-of-business liquidation sale. I did not stay long, as being in there was giving me anxiety. People were not wearing masks, as it is not mandatory here. A few days ago, I was in a dollar store and there was a guy chatting away on his phone, telling whomever that he had gotten tested for covid, and was waiting for the results. I left after I heard that.

I have been reviewing EVP that I recorded in the last month. What I found to be interesting, was the mention of “three angels”. I heard on some EVP in Iceland, that there were the presence of three angels with us.

I heard them mentioned again in some recent recordings. I tested these clips on my laptop speakers and they are audible, though they are better heard on headphones. The clips are repeated on loop, so that you can get a good listen.

I was at the post office, when a sweet little voice said, “Three little angels”. Sorry, this clip is noisy because of the music in the background, but listen carefully and you’ll hear the sweet little voice speaking,

The lady at the counter handed me my receipt. There was a voice that said, “Receipt”.

I walked into the mall to get to the dollar store. It was very empty with the majority of stores closed. I waited in line to get to the dollar store. There were some small children running around. On the recording, I heard, “Your friend is here, Prince… Wanna play with us?“.

The line started moving. I got to the front and waited, because I thought it was only one in at a time. P said, “Andrea”.

Then someone said, “Go in”. After that, the lady at the door motioned to me that I was already allowed to go in.

When I came out of the shop, I was with my mom. I pulled out my bottle of alcohol to spritz my hands. But when I did that, the top flew off and landed in the food court area that was blocked off. I can’t see from a distance very well. My mom started helping me look for the cap. I told my mom is it was ok, that she didn’t have to search, I have more bottles at home. But she insisted on finding it. Someone in spirit said, “Right here”. She climbed under the tape, and found it on a chair.

We got in my mom’s car, and P said to someone, “Get out”. I have observed on many occasions, that spirits will get into people’s cars. I have heard P telling them to get out. I have a friend who has also observed on EVP, that there was a family of spirits hitching a ride in her car. Sometimes I wonder if this could be a possible cause for why some people experience road rage while driving, unknowingly being under the influence of spirits.

As I went back to review some other recordings, I also noticed again, the mention of three angels. On May 29, I was caught in the rain. Luckily, I was still at the mall, and I waited underneath the mall entrance for the rain to clear up before walking home.

Someone said, “Look, there’s angels”.

Another said, “Three angels… Wow”.

From my repeated observations, based on the reactions of spirits, it does not seem that the sight of angels is all that common. It is often pressured that everyone has a guardian angel, but if that were the case, then the sight of angels should be everywhere. It was only after I started doing EVP, that I discovered that there were some not nice spirits in my home. They were saying mean things to me, and even harassing P. I started praying to God for protection. It was after that, that I started noticing the mention of angels in my home, and angels that protected us during travel. I have since made it a regular practice to pray.

As I have said before, the angels told me not to pray to them, only to God. It was conveyed to me that they took orders from God. It is very common nowadays, to hear about people who do direct communication with angels. This practice is very suspect, as the kinds of things these “psychics” say, are very questionable. I would suspect that these are not angels at all, whom they are talking to.

Another thought is, I wonder if the sighting of angels is less, because in general, people don’t pray anymore. They don’t believe in God, or angels, or spirits. So then angels are not employed as often. It’s just a speculation. But I would urge everyone to pray for God’s protection. There is just so much going on in the spirit world that we do not understand, that could be affecting us. The only way to be safe is to ask for God’s protection.

It looks like this year, I will not have a lot of opportunity for landscape photography. I live in the suburbs and there is just not that much of interest here to photograph. It will be a long time before I would travel. However, when I do see something, I grab my camera. I have been doing a lot of still life and product photography. This year, the roses in my garden have been blooming like crazy.

I have been picking the petals and drying them for tea. I am also selling them in my Easy shop.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on June 10, and May 29, 2020.

Image above: “Roses in my garden” by Andrea Mai.

SPIRITS COMMENT ON CORONAVIRUS – EVP May 26, 2020

Time goes by very quickly when you’re busy, even if you’re stuck at home. The orders for masks keep coming in, and I try to keep up with the pace to get them out as soon as possible. I wonder how long this pandemic will go on for. The feeling I get, is that it will go on longer than we predict it to, due to the general public’s refusal to comply with public health safety guidelines.

I was walking on the street one day, to get to the post office. I was wearing my cloth mask made of cotton. A woman approached me, telling me that I shouldn’t wear a mask while walking outside, because I’d be breathing in may own carbon dioxide. I didn’t know what to say at first, but I replied with, “I’ve already heard about that:. I walked away and she yelled back, “It’s true, you know!”. She was a middle aged woman, she was visibly distressed that I did not take her seriously. I am baffled by the lack of logic people are displaying at this time. If fabric could fully trap gas coming from one’s body, we would not be able to smell each other passing gas. And woman who wear burkas would suffocate under the heat in the Middle East. The fact that some people would spread such illogic, goes to show the level of resistance some have to wearing masks., especially in the West. I have even heard that among the young, it has become like a sort of status symbol to not wear a mask. If we go on like this, it will only get worse. As if over a hundred thousand deaths in America isn’t enough to send a message…

We need to flip this mentality. Make wearing masks a status symbol. Unfortunately, people are very vain, especially in places like NYC. And as terrible as it sounds, we have to appeal to one’s vanity as a form of motivation if we want to get people to comply with wearing masks.

I decided to record EVP while I was at the post office, and as I walked home. I wondered what spirits we might run into, what they might say.

I got some very interesting EVP clips. The sound quality is pretty good considering it is recorded outside. I can hear them without headphones, just on my laptop speakers. They are repeated on loop.

Here is someone saying, “Corona virus”.

Here is P saying, “COVID-19”.

Another one said, “Stay at home”.

Here someone says, “T-shirt”. And then P says, “That’s me”. I was wearing my Under The Cherry Moon t-shirt, with flared jeans.

Someone commented, “Beautiful mask”. The above photo is the mask I was wearing. It is my Purple Paisley mask, inspired by P’s paisley adorned clothes in the 80’s.

Someone said, “The latest fashion”.

I pressed the button for the crosswalk lights. Then I sprayed alcohol to sanitize my hands. Someone said, “What you spray”. P said, “Sanitizer“.

Wherever we go, P is often asked about me. He told someone, “I love her”.

Then someone said, “The virus is a hoax”.

P responded, “It is real”. I found this very interesting, that even among spirits, they are discussing conspiracy theories. It goes to show what they really know. This is why I rarely trust the words of mediums, because even if they are genuine, their sources can be wrong. Like any human, a spirit can also be mistaken, misinformed, or lying. People tend to place too much belief in what mediums or channellers claim, without any proof. This is also true with alternative media.

Even though things in the world right now are terrible, I am grateful for everything I have. I am just glad to be able to take short walks to enjoy the flowers blooming in my neighbourhood. I’m thankful that my immediate family is safe and healthy. I am grateful for every meal.

It is good to count all our blessings in times like these.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on May 26, 2020.

Image above: “Trees” by Andrea Mai.

LIFE UPDATE: EVP DURING QUARANTINE – May 11, 2020

I’ve been so busy here, filling orders for face masks. The days seem to melt together and I wake up confused about what day it is. One morning, I woke p from a dream where I was in a car, travelling through a tunnel, and there were theses raised sidewalks along the tunnel walls, there were racks of clothes for sale, like a street market, there were signs that said 11-11. When we reached the end of the tunnel, we were in a major city, perhaps New York. I honestly don’t know what this dream could mean, But that morning happened to be on the morning of May 11th.

I try to fill the orders as quickly as I can, because I know that these are people on the other end, waiting desperately for masks. I feel honoured that people choose to buy from me, and that I am able to offer up my skills for a worthwhile cause at this time. The struggle is real though. Most people will have no idea what a task it’s been to acquire supplies during corona lockdown. Trying to purchase fine quality fabrics; Shopping online, I’ll put things in my cart, but by the time I am ready to check out, items will be sold out. Elastics: I’ve attempted to purchase on five different occasions. Items do not arrive as expected, and I am having to keep searching for other suppliers that can deliver faster. I am having to pay for shipping and inflated prices for things that are normally not that highly valued.

I have not had time to review EVP very much lately. But I am still recording. It is only today that I did not have so many orders, that I can make this post. I got some interesting EVP clips while I was outside walking to the mailbox.

These clips are recorded outside, so they are not necessarily the best sound quality. But I have tested them on my laptop speakers and I can hear them without headphones just fine. They are repeated on loop.

Here, someone says, “Quarantine”. I wonder the the spirits are thinking about this pandemic? Especially after so many deaths have occurred in such short time…

Here is P saying “Hello”.

Someone offered P an orange, “Want an orange”. I have heard him being offered an orange before, while we were walking. I wonder if it is the same person?

P accepted, and he said, “Here you go, Prince”.

Someone asked, “How’s it going?”. P replied, “Gotta mail the masks”.

Someone said, “Look, there’s an angel“. I assume it’s one from my group. I have a group of angels that stay with us, and follow us for our protection. Every night I pray to God to give thanks for them.

There hasn’t been much time for me to work on my art photography as of late. But occasionally I do get a shot in here and there, when I see something that catches my eye. I took these photos of the cement moon, one evening while walking to the mailbox. In this one, you can see a bird flying.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on May 11, 2020.

Image above: “Spring moon” by Andrea Mai.

MY LIFE AS A MASK MAKER IN THE TIME OF CORONA

Since I last posted, I have been extremely busy. I have been sewing masks and filling orders from around the world. I am taking some time out to write this post while some orders wait for me to return. I did not expect for this level of orders coming in. I’ve been getting some days where it is like 10 to 12 orders, and I cannot keep up. I’ve had some days where I had to stop sewing so that I could source supplies in anticipation of running out.

I timed it one day, to see how long it takes to sew a mask. With the pieces already cut and some pieces pre-assembled, it takes me about 45 minutes, if all the prep work was done. So I estimate that without the prep, it would be more like an hour per mask. There is additional time to package and send out the orders. In a day, I could do 6 make, but ti would be a struggle to do more because I have other things to do, of course! When I am not sewing, I am doing prep. I find myself working from morning to tis night before I go to bed.

A small miracle can make a big differences.
I found that bed linens make the best linings for the masks. They have a high thread count and have a good thickness. I had some pieces cut up from brand new sheets leftover from making a duvet cover and I used them to make linings for my initial batches of masks. They happened to be the perfect color to co-ordinate with the leopard print masks. But that was all I had left. I told my mother that I wished HomeeSense was open, so that I could buy discounted bedsheets. Then something urged me to look for these brand new pillow cases I found in a bag of random things given to us by a family friend last year. Brand new in its packaging. It said that it is 100% cotton. What a lifesaver! It was only because of this that I could continue to make masks! I know the spirits in my house must have been rummaging in the storage room as I searched top and bottom for apiece of cotton lining that I still cannot find.

Price “elasticity”.
I feel that it is my civic duty to participate in providing this service for others. I went to school for fashion design, and it has been a skill that I did not get to make much of a career out of. I feel it would be a waste if I choose to sit back doing nothing, instead of answering the call to make masks. As I have collected personal resources over the years: An industrial sewing machine that I inherited from an aunt who died of cancer. A collection of cotton fabrics stashed away. A personal supply of dressmaking tools and materials. A studio space already set up in my basement. I do not do it for the money, (though it is true, that art sales are less likely in these times, I must pivot), but I am most motivated to answer the call to serve others in this time of great need by offering my God-given talents for this challenging time in society.

Which is why I am so greatly disturbed and disappointed by the behaviours of venders. I bought two rolls of elastic on Amazon two weeks ago, in anticipation that I will need more. After producing almost 40 masks, I am at my last yards of quarter-inch elastic. My order has not yet arrived. I am growing very, as I do not know if this order will ever get here. In my past experience, some sellers have made false listings, so that you would pay them, but they would send you nothing, while you wait thinking that it is coming. Fraud like these are on the rise at these desperate times. I do not have time to waste. These make are waiting for its final touch, which is the elastic.

I decided that I needed a contingency plan. Instead of just waiting, I would try to source something more local, at least within Canada, so that the delivery time would be shorter, possibly arriving next week. I saw this ridiculous posting from Amazon. I think it is gone now, as I cannot find the listing. But still… the thought alone is revolting that anyone should attempt to sell a single roll elastic at $1,457.27.

I thought, I will not deal with another third-party seller on Amazon, at least not for elastic, as I suspect that that they are all shipping from China and that will take ages to get here. Trying on Etsy, I find a seller, whose price is 3 times its worth wss before corona, but it is still at a feasible price to use, and they are shipping from a province away. $120 for 150 yards with are shipping. I’d heard through the grapevine that wholesalers were selling rolls at $80 right before everything shut down. Still an inflated price. After I placed the order, I cheekily messaged her, “Thanks for not totally gouging the price”. I saw that others have asked for more. A few hours later I looked at her listing again, and she has ramped it up to $165. I feel sickened by this. She is also a mask maker. Two days later, I ams still bothered by this and it hasn’t shipped yet. I tell her that I saw her gouging and I don’t want to deal with her. I send her a screenshot of her inflated price. I ask for a refund. She refunds me immediately, no questions asked.

Everyone wants a piece of the pie.
An online retailer has approached me for “collaboration”. She tells me that she can see a market for “stylish masks” like nine. I asked to know what price she expects to sell the mask for. She answers, $10 USD. I was selling mine for $14. I tell her that it’s an impossible price to work with, due to the scarcity of materials, lack of available labour, and shipping expenses all mounting up. I asked her how does she expect to make a profit, as she would obviously want a higher profit margin for herself within the price point. I do not need a middle man to sell my wares, so that I can work more to receive less. I tell her that I do not have the time to deal with her.

People are seeing the pie that the makers are producing with their hard graft and creativity, and they want a piece of the pie without having to do the handwork involved. Whether it is to profit by gouging on supplies, or low balling the work of labourers. It is insulting to those who are doing the work.

I have no more elastic for orders right now as we speak. But I refuse to quit. I could choose to just stop taking orders and wait for the elastic, but time is of the essence. People need make. Even when things re-open again, they will ned masks. I am working around the clock to produce them and ship them out as soon as I can.

Even in such ugly times, there is still beauty to be found.
I have always been obsessed with Liberty print fabric. I feel that they are truly the best, especially the classic Tana Lawn collection. Butt they are expensive. When I was in my mid-twnties living in England. I would venture out from Brighton on day trips to London. I could barely afford anything in Liberty. But there was this hidden treasure trove bin of fabric remnants sold at reduced prices. A quarter yard of a rose floral print, a little piece of a paisley print. I would buy whatever I could get my hands on. I made hair accessories for myself. Over the years, I have saved up these fabrics, as my personal collection, imagining what I would make with them.

I have offered some of these fabrics for making masks. Some are actually my favourite of them all, but I feel that it is a worthy sacrifice to use them to create masks that people will love to wear. My greatest motivation for creating masks is that I want to take something that people dread wearing, and turn it into something of beauty, something that they could enjoy, or at least make it a little more bearable. I feel like a bad ass rock ‘n roller when I wear my leopard print one.This is where I think high fashion can serve a beneficial and worthy role in society. No longer a frivolous whim of desire, but a life saving necessity for now and the future.

When I package an order, I wrap it up as if it were a gift. I want the customer to feel that they have received something special. Especially in times like these. Small joys like these can make a world of difference. Beauty is the saving grace that makes life somewhat more bearable in times like these, something worth living for. When I am making these masks and styling them for photo shoots, I do not think of them like just a piece of utility. I feel like I am designing movie costumes. For these unprecedented times, wearing masks in public will likely become a necessary norm. I am creating masks to go with fashion. I am inspired by movies like Painted Veil, and Love in the Time of Cholerra, both movies taking place at the turn of the century during cholera outbreaks. I feel like life has become like a movie set. What the world has become, It does not feel real. I am imagining a historian sic-fi drama.

And you can call it vanity, but I know that there will always be people who still crave fashion even in the worst of times. Like a school girl customizing her school uniform, people will want masks to express their individuality. A love for, an appreciation for, a touch of beauty is what helps some of us get through these difficult times.

I imagine Who some of my customers are. Maybe they are a nurse needing a mask for when she’s off-due. Or a hairdresser or a make up artist preparing for when he goes back to work. Or a mom who needs a mask for when she goes to pick up groceries from the store.

I heard from one of my customers who received her masks. She told me that they fit perfectly, and that she will enjoy wearing these masks. That alone gives me great satisfaction.

Stay safe, everybody.

Image above: “Shadows” by Andrea Mai.

REMEMBERING PRINCE

Today is the anniversary of Prince’s passing. I designed this little piece of artwork for him. It’s based on his star on the First Avenue wall. You can see within the star, an image of some real stars I took when I was in the South of France.

This year, we are celebrating his life with this Prince Artifacts Tote Bag.

DESIGNER DIARY: CAN WE MAKE WEARING A MASK FUN FOR PEOPLE DURING CORONAVIRUS?

It is no doubt that coronavirus has made life more difficult. And even after lockdown, life won’t return back to quite what it was before the virus, at least not right away. In some countries, it will probably be mandatory that people wear masks while out in public. Some will choose to wear it voluntarily as a precaution. Many people will really hate it, but understand that it is necessary for public health safety. Others will downright refuse.

That is where I think fashion designers have a role to play in this pandemic. While many businesses have pivoted to sewing masks for healthcare workers during lockdown, a designer can make wearing a mask, a somewhat more bearable ritual for the general public. Fashion influencers can help to bring down the stigma of wearing masks, as I know that many will refuse to wear one for various reasons such as; it’s not comfortable, it’s ugly, it’s not socially acceptable. I can imagine parents having a hard time convincing their kids to comply with wearing one.

But what if a mask could make you feel more interesting, unique, attractive, more rock ‘n roll or superhero in these challenging times, would you feel less repulsion to wearing one?

There has been so much argument as to whether or not wearing masks could help reduce the spread of the virus. Some argued against it, citing lack of supply, and concern for the public not being educated enough to wear one properly. Others suggested that it is not really that effective for protecting one’s self and that it could cause one to feel a false sense of security. And yet, common sense should tell you that a mask is better than a bare face, should anyone sneeze on you. Since it is the case that one could have the virus and not know it, they could be unwittingly spreading it to others. If everyone wore one, it would be effective as a whole for flatting the curve. After all this rejection of the mask, the West has come to suggest wearing masks despite their earlier refusal. I would say, perhaps this is a societal issue? There was no argument about mask-wearing in Asia.

In Asia, wearing a mask is viewed as being considerate or cautious. It is normal to to be seen wearing a mask when one has a cold, or when air quality is not good. But here in the West, it is viewed as alarming, making people feel uncomfortable.

I think those of us, as fashion designers could play a vital role in motivating people to stay on course with wearing masks, by designing a mask that people would want to wear.

I started making masks at the request of others. I already had a mask that I bought in China, made of silk, which I wear for my dust allergies. I have over a decades worth of fabric scraps from design projects, all in luxurious silks and cottons. Since I cannot go to the fabric store, I’ve had to rise t challenge of working only with what I have on hand.

I made this leopard print mask for myself. Leopard print foes with just about everything, and yet it is bold, but classic. It has played a large-time role in the history of fashion. Jackie O made it really popular during the 60s, and it continues to be fashionable. Prince always wore it on his guitar strap.

After this exercise, I decided, why not offer what I’m making to the rest of the world? So I have added this leopard print mask to my shop. Each purchase of a mask will come with a surprise gift from me! Be sure to take advantage of combined shipping when you order other stuff too.