It's Not Easy...Being Green

A living planet is a much more complex metaphor for deity than just a bigger father with a bigger fist. If an omniscient, all-powerful Dad ignores your prayers, it's taken personally. Hear only silence long enough, and you start wondering about his power. His fairness. His very existence. But if a world mother doesn't reply, Her excuse is simple. She never claimed conceited omnipotence. She has countless others clinging to her apron strings, including myriad species unable to speak for themselves. To Her elder offspring She says - go raid the fridge. Go play outside. Go get a job. Or, better yet, lend me a hand. I have no time for idle whining.

David Brin

Today is Earth Day. There has been so much in the media recently about what's going on with the climate, what we can do, what we haven't done. Both sides of the story push that we're not in a crisis with global warming or that we are. It can be overwhelming, fear inducing and even paralyzing for many.

I'm not a Luddite, I use technology regularly, but I also am concerned about being holistic in my life where possible. I have no easy answers. The one thing I know I can do is work within the scope of my world. Recycle, buy green, learn how to live it better. I'm not perfect, but I'm making progress. The other thing I can do is educate when I have the opportunity and here's somewhere to look at what you can do. I'm hopeful though. The fact that the issue is being discussed and looked at more gives that to me. It's not going to be easy, but I think the world is waking up.

Is it easy being green for you?

Audra McDonald, "It's Not Easy Being Green":

These Days

Light cannot enter if the windowpane is darkened.

I haven't had much to say lately. I've just been focusing on getting healed and basic needs. If anyone had told me that physical therapy involved so much work I would have been amazed. Photography has fallen by the wayside temporarily as I've felt somewhat detached. When I spoke to someone who has been through something similar she told me that it's common to feel that way after the surgery. She said that you go into thinking you'll be accomplishing all of these things with the time you have off when really all you usually accomplish is getting healthy. But once you're back to full health you get your motivation back to accomplish the other things in your life. In other worlds the light will be shining back in.

I did go to a concert the other night when a friend called and asked if I would go with him at the last minute. So I heard Jackson Browne do an acoustic concert. I know of his work though I've never been a huge fan, but it was awesome. He is an activist and definitely encouraged people to get involved in the world to make change. Another light trying to shine through some of the darkened panes of life these days.

Jackson Browne, "These Days":

Inspiration and Practicality

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Henry David Thoreau

Inspiration is key to everything that one does as artist, photographer, writer etc. One is always on the outlook for it. I found a blog today that was full of inspiration, "Design for Humankind". Once a month Erin who does the blog, does inspiration, an ezine that is free to all of us for perusal and full of ideas.

Another wonderful feature that she is doing is doing "roadmaps" which is nuts and bolts of putting your work out there. I find that the practical side is where many of us struggle, so I love finding things like this.

What other practical practices around inspiration helps all of you?

Gipsy Kings, "Inspiration":

Spiral

Progress has not followed a straight ascending line, but a spiral with rhythms of progress and retrogression, of evolution and dissolution.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Well I thought I might be back to work in two weeks, but now the Physical Therapist feels I need four weeks. He thinks if I go back in two weeks I could end up with a set back. So I have to get Doctor's office and Physical Therapy office to agree on an outcome. I'm not so much disappointed as just disgruntled as the red tape in all of this can be a good deal of work. Of course, I asked about doing photography and the PT feels intensive work is still a few weeks away. Okay, I can live with that. I'll just keep playing with the Holga and Pinhole lens.

Hiromi Uehara, "Spiral":

Letting Go

Control is never achieved when sought after directly. It is the surprising outcome of letting go.
James Arthur Ray

Being in control has always been a major thing for me. Perhaps that's one of the things that attracts me to photography so much. But the last few weeks have been a lesson in not being in control and letting go. Through my recent experiences I think that lesson has been sinking in. Not having control over doing photography the way I normally would the last few weeks, forced me to look at the process differently. I've found that I've been able to pull off a couple of shots before my arm weakens. So when I looked for material close to home to take advantage of this, I found flowers. Yes, I know flowers have been done to death, but using my modified Holga lens has brought a new perspective. When I started looking through the viewfinder, a different world opened up and you are seeing some of the results. It is a surprising outcome in the process of having let go of control. Let's just hope I can learn this lesson in a few other areas of life that I've been holding tightly to.

Keisha Cole, "Let It Go":

A Lilac Moment

Fear is a slinking cat I find beneath the lilacs of my mind.

Sophie Tunnell

Fear is a insidious thing. It whispers to you in the late hours of the evening. When you're vulnerable and weak it seizes the moment. It tries to seduce you into believing that you're a fool for even thinking you can call yourself a photographer and you'll never succeed in finding your vision. Then you find a bunch of lilacs that call to you. You manage a few shots and fear is pushed back to the shadows as the light of your creativity emerges. The realization comes that it wasn't gone, it was just waiting until you were courageous enough to bring it forth.

Nina Simone, "Lilac Wine":

Spring Fever

It's spring fever...You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache you want it so!

Mark Twain

I hit the wall today. I'm tired of being cooped up and not getting out to do photography. There are so many things that I want to do as we have this beautiful weather, but I'm still not to where I can do it. Let's face it I have a good case of spring fever....

This photo came from a workshop I did a couple of years ago. I love outside rustic tubs and when I saw this one, I asked the model if she would pose in it for me if we had extra time (we were photographing the models primarily in groups). She did and I got some fantastic shots.

We finally watched "Across the Universe" last night. I loved Julie Taymor's vision and the way she used the Beatles song to weave a story of that era. I have a copy of a book, "Julie Taymor: Playing with Fire" that details her work. Her visuals are incredible. One of the most vibrant sequences was when one the characters went to an induction center and it began with Uncle Sam moved out of the wall to the sounds of "I Want You". The sequence continued from there and continued in its brilliance. Chills moved down my spine. The movie stuck with me through today. I went to have the stitches taken out and as they talked about the physical therapy and what would be needed to get me functioning again, "Don't Let Me Down" for some reason kept going through my mind.

The Beatles, "Don't Let Me Down":