Prince | 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.

SPIRITS WISH ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY – May 5, 2020

This year, on my birthday, I was really busy working. I was occupied with fulfilling mask orders all day. I did take some time out to do an EVP recording later that day. I used some white noise i the background to help boost the sound.

I did not have time to review the EVP until much later. And it is only now that I have some free time to make a post. Hence, it has been over a month since my birthday.

The sound quality was not bad, I can still hear them on just my lap top speakers. But I find that hearing them with headphones, there is an extra dimension to it that you miss out on without the headphones. The clips are repeated on loop.

P wished me, “Happy Birthday to you… what do you want from me”. Which is funny, because a friend sent me a concert clip of him singing those same words. earlier that day

He wished me “Happy Birthday”, again.

He told me, “Andrea, you’re my… best friend”. This is rather funny to me, because around that time, I had a dream where I was writing in P’s notebook, to tell him a message, but I didn’t want him to watch me as I wrote it. I wrote, “You’re my best friend. I love you”. I don’t remember if this dream was before or after my birthday, but I definitely didn’t find out about this EVP clip until after the dream.

Someone asked to talk to me, “Can I talk to her?”. P gave her permission to speak on EVP to me. I have told P that he is my gatekeeper to the spiritual world. I do not want to be contacted by anyone other than him. I know I may have mediumistic abilities, but I personally choose to keep that door closed.

She said, “Angels protect you”.

And said, “God bless you”.

Someone else commented afterwards, “Prince mom talk to her”. I fell really honoured that his mom wanted to speak to me. What a blessing! I am truly touched by this.

Here is someone saying, “You go and get a cookie”. This clip is so clear! I don’t know who was saying this, or to whom. But I find it so cute.

I recently re-watched Gone With The Wind. I had only seen it when I was a child and did not understand the movie at the time. I didn’t really know what the movie was about other than the most famous scene in the end. This was a movie in Prince’s DVD collection found at Paisley Park. It was recently mentioned a lot in the news about being banned. I wanted to see what it was al about. I found that I really enjoyed the movie. Old movies tend to be slow moving and can get boring very quickly. But this movie held my attention through out. I originally had the impression that the character of Scarlett O”Hara was a very shallow, unremarkable character. But I grew to admire her tenacity. If you overlook the messy love story, you will see that she embodies bravery, independence, intelligence, and strong will. These were not necessarily traits that were valued in women at the time that the story took place, or when the novel was written. Scarlett did not allow herself to become a victim of the times. She took charge and made the most of her circumstances. This movie is really about survival in difficult times. The is a kind of movie that can prepare you for challenging times ahead in the future, by offering a role model.

I feel that we are heading towards even more challenging times, but most people are unprepared. I would urge every person out there to make preparations. A second wave of coronavirus is likely to come. Similar to the Spanish fly, there were people who remained skeptical and refused to wear a mask, they let their guard down in the summer. And when the autumn season came, the virus came back even harder.

I wish you all well, and urge you to stay safe.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on May 5, 2020.

Image above: “Sakura” 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.

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.

ART LIFE UPDATE: CREATING THE PRINCE ARTIFACTS TOTE BAG

Ever since I graduated from fashion school, I’ve wanted to create a merchandise line. At the time, I wanted to be a fashion illustrator and sell branded items, like Hello Kitty or Lisa Frank. Of course, I didn’t know how I was going to do that. As I did my research, I discovered how costly it was to design a product range and have it manufactured. I gave up on the idea as I moved onto other things.

Having made the decision in the last five year, to focus solely on my photography, the idea for a merchandise line rose again. I felt that my images could be more than just artworks hung on a wall. They could become part of everyday items, like bags and home accessories. I saw that the technology for printing mediums had advanced greatly since I last experimented with them as a student. I could print high resolution images on transfer paper and heat press them on to fabric. New ideas were born!

I bought some transfer paper and the first product I designed was this tote bag. I really just wanted a lightweight tote bag to carry my shopping, or packages I need to bring to the post office. It’s a large size, but it folds up nicely to go inside my purse. It’s made of muslin fabric. Muslin is a staple for any fashion designer. It’s a cotton cloth used to make initial samples of a design to test out the pattern. The fabric is lightweight, but tough wearing. I love the shabby chic vibe of muslin.

I printed my Prince Artifacts photo on the front side of the bag. But then I got some more ideas… I added these strips and arranged them to look like stickers. I was inspired by the way sometimes guitarists like to paste up stickers all over their guitar cases. I designed a piano keyboard pattern on one strip. I was inspired by the way Prince had piano keys incorporated into his decoration at Paisley Park. I designed my own leopard print pattern, emulating the look of washi tape. I was inspired by Prince’s signature leopard print guitar straps. And then I added a strip with the words “Love God” in Prince’s own handwriting, that I traced over from a Christmas card that I saw online. And of course, I added my own brand logo with the textile label.

The process was several weeks in the making. Initially, I thought about just buying ready made tote bags, but I didn’t find any I liked. They were poor quality and made using cheap labour in foreign countries. They weren’t what I envisioned. So I decided to design and make my own bags. I ended up making three prototypes to get it just right. First, I did a sample to test out the transfer paper on some leftover fabric I already had (from over 15 years ago when I was in fashion school!). Then I ordered more fabric, but it was different from the initial sample. I decided to wash the sample to see how well the artwork would hold up. It shrank. Then I realized that I should have pre-shrunk the fabric. So then I washed the fabric and I made another sample. My first sample didn’t have the strip of leopard print. That came later when inspiration kept brewing, and one night, I spent hours designing leopard print on my iPad Pro with pencil.

My experiences have taught me that if an initial idea doesn’t come out the way you hoped it to, don’t give up. Just set it aside. Ideas came return in new ways later on. Keep working towards your goals. I try to spend everyday working little by little towards a goal.

A Special Offer
I just listed the tote bag in my shop. As a promo offer to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Prince’s passing (April 21), I am offering free custom monogramming when you order this bag. Normally, I would charge an additional $5 for the customization. I will also throw in a freebie, two Cosmic Duo Art Greeting Cards, Comic Day and Cosmic Night, its design was inspired by Paisley Park (the cards are a $14 value). Offer will end on my birthday, May 5, 2020. No promo code needed. See here for details.

Image above: “Sewing” by Andrea Mai.

ART LIFE UPDATE: MORE #STAYATHOME & PRINCE-INSPIRED ARTWORKS

Despite my intuitive feeling that my art show might not happen this year (I submitted a notice of cancellation to the venue), I decided to move forward in action for my overall plan anyway. I used the art show date as a deadline to push myself. And now I am getting closer to where I want to be in my work. I have developed new artwork prints and product designs. The world is in chaos, but I am peaceful inside. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care about what’s going on, but I see no point in worry or complaint. I take necessary precautions where needed. I accept that this pandemic may take longer than we hope for it to pass, might as well settle in for the long haul. People are upset that they have to stay inside, questioning how real it is, how valid are the threats to justify it. I try a little everyday to work towards my goals, because I believe in making lemonade when life hands you lemons.

One such goal is working on my online art shop, adding new products and coming up with the best ways to present and package my art. In the past, I was reluctant to invest in the production of my work. I saw how others were using drop-shipping to sell their work. But after much consideration, I do not see it as a viable option for me. Perhaps it works for others, (or maybe in the future). But it is not for me. My preferred approach is hands-on. I want to be in control of production. I want make it special.

After an experience where a photo lab failed to send out my order, they allegedly lost all my prints and told me that they would reprint it immediately and deliver it to me. I do not like the idea that there could be unauthorized prints of my work floating around out there. That is why for prints that are not produced in-house, I offer a Certificate of Authenticity. In another experience, I was attending a warehouse sale for blank t-shirts from a printing company. I saw amidst the piles of t-shirts, that some were printed. Were they prototype samples for a customer? I don’t know, but it made me question; who knows where your designs could end up without your knowledge? It begs the question, how well do you know your suppliers? Do you trust that they will destroy all unauthorized samples or not sell them without your permission? That is why I have decided to produce as much of my own work where reasonably possible.

Admittedly, the audience for my work is very small. While I considered the option of using drop- shipping services like Printify or Society 6, to produce my designs and artwork, it is not a business model that works for me. Custom printers want to make a high profit margin for their print-on demand services, but they cut every corner on the cost of materials, leaving me, as the artist very little opportunity to reasonably mark up the items for a profit. The product quality does not justify the cost, in my opinion. As an artist,, I would have to be selling large volumes for this model to be worthwhile. I found the finished products very expensive for what it is, and I would have to order sample products for approval. The start-up cost would be very costly, meanwhile I could have s[ent that money and invested in my own production supplies.

I have relaunched my two Prince prints. The prints were originally produced by a lab the silver-halide method, which I love, but have decided to move on with printing in-studio. I currently have two options, mat and frame, or mat only.

The metallic paper I use to print on, reflects a subtle golden light from it when viewed at certain angles. It creates a stunning effect when viewed in person.

I also have the Prince Artifacts in a greeting card version.

And I was suddenly struck with inspiration to create these two new Prince-inspired greeting card designs. They are what I call the “cosmic duo”, as they are titled Cosmic Day and Cosmic Night. (And yes, for those of you well-versed Prince fans, Cosmic Day was an unreleased song title by Prince.) It was inspired by the ceiling murals at Paisley Park. In the sitting room area for visitors, is a painted ceiling with piano keys and a view of the night sky. There is also a version of it in the conference room upstairs. The central hall is covered with painted clouds. I find this interesting, because that is exactly what I dreamed of having on my bedroom walls when I was a kid.

I have two other Prince-related pieces. I was able to source some unused vintage Prince vinyl. It has the original Paisley Park labelling. They did not come with any record cover art. I hate to vinyl go unloved. I thought the 7-inch singles looked cool mounted on over my circle prints. So I created these two prints, and mounted the vinyl over it.

I actually have another Prince-related item that I’m working on, that I’m very excited about. I will fill you in on it when it’s ready.

Image above: “Behind the scenes” by Andrea Mai.

ART LIFE UPDATE, SPIRITS REACT TO PRINCE AT MICHAEL’S – EVP March 8, 2020

I’ve ben busy since February, preparing for an art show in May. Though it might not happen, as this coronavirus pandemic has caused school closures and event cancellations. They say that it might last until June or longer. I am not surprised though. I have not felt optimistic about 2020. The end of 2019 saw riots in Hong Kong and Paris. The virus was slowly erupting in China, and has now it has reached all around the world. I had a feeling at the beginning of the year, that things could get cancelled. I intended to lay low this year. But the art show placement was assigned to me since last year. I procrastinated working on it. Then in January, I started making plans for it. I made some decisions to grow my art business. I invested in buying equipment and art materials. It’s been a real process, something that I had been avoiding for years. Up until tis point, I’d only been testing the waters to see if anyone would buy my art. Having the art show as a firm deadline to work from, gave me the push. Otherwise the hesitation about what to do could drag on. So even if this art show doesn’t happen, it’s all work that I had to do anyway.

The biggest decision I made, that will affect my art the most, is choosing to print my own work. I bought a photo printer. I had been sending my work to print at a professional lab. I love the results that the labs give, but it’s not flexible enough for my business, logistically speaking. The cost of shipping really ads up, plus the waiting time. All the prints listed on my shop are currently lab printed. They are printed using the silver halide method on a metallic finish paper. The process involves photo paper that reacts to light. There is no ink involved. It is really the best, and I will still offer it for large size prints. I have a found a metallic finish paper that I can use on my inkjet printer that offers very compelling results. They are not the same, but it is still just as beautiful. Silver halide prints are have a super shiny finish, they are more silver toned and look very 3D, whereas the inkjet metallic is also very shiny and glossy, it leans more on the golden side. There is a subtle golden glow that projects from the paper. Below are photos of silver halide on metallic versus inkjet on metallic. The photos hardly do it any justice, you really have to see it in person.

Creating art prints and products for people to buy has a real process involved. Every detail must be considered. Decisions must take place before things can get started, as they will affect the materials and equipment that I need to buy. For instance, choosing what sizes of the art prints to offer, only until this is firmly decided, that then I can consider what my packaging options are. And then comes the sourcing, and that is one of the most crucial but challenging steps. One must envision how they will package and present their artwork to the customer, and then find the appropriate materials. Have you ever heard the saying, that God only gives you what you can handle? In the past, I have found that if I did not have the packaging ready for my online store, the sales for larger orders would not come in. I used to think that I could just wait to get an order in and figure it outtlater. But those orders never came. Then I splurged on the packaging and the orders came in.

Last week, I went to Michael’s to get a hold of a white Sharpie marker. I recorded EVP while I was in there. I rarely ever get to go to Michael’s. I could honestly spend hours in there.

These clips turned out pretty good. I tested them on my laptop speakers and you could hear them audibly. But I still recommend headphones for a better listening experience. The clips are repeated on loop.

Here is someone saying, “Hi Prince”.

I think we must have ran into some of his fans, as this one said, “I adore you, Prince”.

This one asked, “When did you die?“. P said, “2016”.

Some one said, “Orange tree… Eat an orange”. I think there must have been an orange tree there on the spirit side.

Someone offered P a drink, “You wanna drink?”.

“Orange juice”.

Someone said, “Angels in here”.

“There’s an angel”.

I spent about 50 minutes there, browsing. I had already gotten what I came for, but I couldn’t stop looking. But it was getting late in the day. P said, “It’s getting late. Gotta go”. I felt him tugging at me to go.

But before I left, Michael Jackson’s song came on, Remember the Time. The spirits there knew it was going to come on the radio. They said, “Next is Michael Jackson”.

I only bought the Sharpie and went home.

I have a collection of art prints and greeting cards coming soon. I found a really wonderful inkjet cardstock to print on for cards. The print quality is amazing. I already have one card posted in the shop. It’s the card version for my Prince Artifacts print.