Tag: photography

Posted on

Being Creative – 500 Words a Day – Day 30

Here we are, day 30. I commented on someone else’s post, today telling them they ARE a writer. Some how, today, I don’t “feel” like a writer. I’ve written stuff for 30 days, but I don’t feel like I’m a writer. Why is that? It’s weird, because I had a discussion with this young guy about 9 months ago, and I’ve brought it it with several people since then. I actually think I wrote about this already during this past 30 days. Ultimately, the idea is that we are what we think we are, tell ourselves we are, and say what we are. Or aren’t. So even though there are times when I don’t think I’m a writer, I still am. I write, I create. That’s another thing I always told myself, that I’m not creative. Bullshit! At least that’s what I’ve found. The more I have accepted that I am creative, the more creative I’ve found myself being, and wanting to be. How weird lol.

So I create. I write. I take photographs. Maybe someday I’ll get into ceramics again. Funny story, there. In high school I took a ceramics class and I loved it. I loved it so much I took the advanced class the next time it came around, that way I got to use the wheel. As I said, I loved it. Can I say that enough? Funny thing, I still didn’t feel like I was creative. But there was so much I loved about putting the time and effort into creating a ceramic piece, getting the clay, using the wheel, finding the right color glaze, often combining them to make different designs or colors. I think maybe why I never felt like a creative type, even then, was that I never felt I could create something good. I didn’t believe in myself. I’m mean my mom liked what I made, but she’s my mom. She HAS to like what I make, right? Then my teacher liked one pot I made. He told me he wanted me to enter it into the art contest where they would display different types of art and kids would vote on it. I said no way, I wasn’t entering some stupid art contest. I may have told him something to the effect that it wasn’t any good anyway. He told it was and that I should enter it. I said no way again. He said I could either enter the contest or I could fail the class. Um, OK. Guess I’m entering the art contest. I didn’t win. I wasn’t surprised. But I was surprised that I got 4th out of all the other art projects. The cynical part of me wants to say, there must have been only four entries. Realistically, I know there were more than that. How many? I’m not sure. But I know there were more than four. Thinking back, I’m pretty proud of that pot, I mean, it was a cool pot. I wonder if my mom still has it?

Posted on

11:59 – 500 Words a Day – Day 16

11:29 PM. I have exactly 31 minutes to write 500 words and I really have no idea what to write. My puppy is staring at me from the floor with his half, chewed up rope wanting to play tug-o-war. I ignore him, I need to write. I need to come up with something. But what? The puppy has realized I’m ignoring him and upped the ante, the rope is now in my lap. I give in and throw the rope for him. He bounds after the rope and up onto my bed. At full speed. The comforter gets shoved back and I wonder if he’s ripped my sheets. Again.

No time to worry. It’s 11:32 now and I still have no idea what to write. I guess I could just post after midnight, but then technically it’s tomorrow and it won’t be 500 words a day. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I can split hairs at times. Besides, I already did that once. Shhhh….

So how did I get here, again? I was out at a friend’s place doing acroyoga. I know her place becomes a time suck. I always intend to leave at 10, but usually don’t get out until 11. Or 12. Ok, sometimes 1 am. This time it was better and I left at 10:45 because I knew I had to write 500 words tonight and post before midnight. 11:39.

The puppy is back. I try to ignore him again. Ok, not totally true. I picked up my phone to take a pic because 1) he’s cute 2) I can document it and use it for the blog post. Now I just have to think of how to get the damn thing off my phone and onto my computer so I can post it. Hope it turns out. I’m rushing a bit here if you hadn’t noticed. 11:41.

I usually take a good hour to get these things done. Between writing, editing, not like I do a whole lot of that, and finding a cool pic that I took because I don’t like using other people’s pics for some reason, it takes a while to get a post done. God, is that the most run on sentence I’ve written since 5th grade? I think so.

357 words down and 11:43. The puppy is now so close to me I can feel his hot breath moving the hairs on my leg. His rope is no where in sight, though, so I’m not really sure what he wants. Oh, he just went and got it, so now I know. All is right in the world.

Back to acro, because I have no idea what to write about. It’s a form of yoga I was introduced to a while ago, but didn’t start doing until a year ago. I was a little freaked out when I first saw it, but now I love it. It’s the only exercise I get. Not that it should be the only exercise, I seem to have become a little lazy, but that will change soon. I tend to go in ebb and flows, as I have written about, and I can feel the itch coming back to exercise. Maybe it’s the Chicago summer. Good chance of that. Then again, maybe I need to 30 days of exercise program. Who’s with me? 30 mins of exercise daily? Some form of cardio and body weight bearing exercise? Holy shit, 555 words and it’s 11:48. Where did that come from? Time to edit & post…

Posted on

Inspiration – 500 Words a Day – Day 11

Inspiration. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we inspire others? How do we inspire ourselves? I was thinking about this last night as I was typing “f f f f” to meet my 500 word quota. And I don’t like the word quota because it implies this writing is something I “have” to do, and I don’t find that very inspiring.

Back to the topic.

I was thinking about this topic because I wasn’t feeling very inspired when I was trying to write last night. I felt plenty inspired throughout the day and came up with several topics I wanted to write on, but then I sat down to write and…nothing. While I realize this experiment is all about writing even when you don’t feel like it, I’ve been getting frustrated because I’ve been inspired to write more. Let me explain that. I get inspired to write more often, several times a day actually, but I don’t have the time in my schedule to sit down at that moment and write. And that has happened for several days in a row now.

Even now. As I sit writing this, my son is watching TV. I don’t really have any issue with him watching TV, but I do feel a twist-your-guts-into-knots guilt that I’m not hanging with him. On the other hand, I also want to set an example for him to do what he loves, and to make time for doing what he loves. It’s a lesson I’m still struggling to learn and I’d like him to learn it earlier in life. Am I his inspiration? Or is he mine? Children can be funny like that. So can life.

I do know what I find inspiring. Words. Quotes that make me think about life in a positive way. Words that enlighten me. Pictures of people doing amazing things. Things that I only dream about, but also could see myself doing. Seems like a funny combination. What else? Beauty. A beautiful scene of nature. A picture of a beautiful woman. And a picture of a beautiful woman, doing amazing things, out in nature with some inspiring words on it? Well, that gets me all kinds of inspired.

That’s what this blog is really about. Inspiration. To inspire others the way others have inspired me. But I also want it to be real. I don’t travel the world. I no longer live near a beautiful beach. I’m not a great photographer.

And yet I still see beauty all around me. I try and document what I see. I try and get my thoughts out, because I do think about some great shit. So here I am, putting some writing out there. Inspiring? I don’t know, you’ll have to tell me. But I do know it’s honest and true.

I like that, too. I guess that’s another thing I find inspiring. People who can be honest about their lives. Those who are living lives that aren’t all beer and skittles, but who are still willing to share their lives, their struggles. That’s what life is all about, to be willing to live life through all our struggles. To share these struggles with others, to be able to say, “I went through this tough physical/emotional/mental time and I…lived.” To pass that message on to others who may be going through a similar time, who may be about to give up. That’s what inspiration is all about.