Category Archives: Life

Technological Meltdown

Posted on June 1, 2010 | Comments Off on Technological Meltdown

Ok folks.  I apologize for the lack of updates but I recently had a little run of bad luck.

Said bad luck came in the form of a technological meltdown.  The laptop I was using to connect to the internet as well as work with all my photos in Photoshop decided to up and die.  And in the process of its demise, it took my copy of Photoshop along with it.   How nice of it hmm?

Recently, however, I managed to score a sweet deal on a new laptop.  Since receiving the new laptop I’ve had numerous issues with it.  One program won’t work, then another, then another that needs another to function, etc.  Luckily, I’ve managed to tap into my inner tech specialist and fix each problem as it popped up.  So as of right now, the laptop is functioning properly.  Just keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way.

The only problem I have now is my lack of Photoshop.  It took me forever just to snag the crappy version 7 I had.  I have no idea what I’m going to do now.  My funds are all but depleted and I don’t really feel like pirating a copy from the net and getting pinched by the feds or anything like that.  So I guess I’ll either have to wait until that tree in my front yard decides to sprout Benjamins instead of leaves or some nice soul hands me a copy and says “Here you go. My gift to you.”

So, in the meantime, I’ll still be taking photos but I’m not sure how many will make it onto the blog or Facebook page.  I might throw up (eww) a random few here and there but I’d rather wait until I have Photoshop for some post production.  Yeah, you know I’m fond of that there post production!

That’s my update for now folks.  I hope all’s well with everyone out there and I hope to be back up and running normally soon.

Take it easy but at the same time…

Keep on rockin’ on.

[^_^]

~A.M.

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Inspiration Station Vol 2

Posted on April 16, 2010 | Comments Off on Inspiration Station Vol 2

Ok.  Here I am.  Back again.  I hope everyone enjoyed Vol 1 cause I’ve returned to hit you with more random things that inspire me.  No, I don’t mean “hit you” literally, that’s kind of impossible this being a blog post and such.  Plus, literally hitting you would be just…mean of me.

All joking aside, let’s get on with it.

# 9 – Movies

I find different movies inspiring in different ways.  Now, I’m not talking just the true story, rising above tragedy, overcoming obstacles type movies.  I find inspiration in nearly every movie I watch.  Everything from Anime to Sci-Fi and horror.  Two films I adore are The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.  I think The Dark Crystal is my most favorite movie of all time.  I don’t just enjoy the film as a finished product, I think the behind-the-scenes work, the art and writing that went into creating the film, is completely awesome.  I find that kind of thing awesome in every film I enjoy.  When I see an effect on-screen, I want to know how it was done.  A lot of people think that ruins the experience, that finding out the secrets of “movie magic” somehow detracts from the film.  I’m the opposite.  It gets me thinking, imagining, dreaming.

# 10 – Music

Ah, music.  Music has been a source of inspiration for me ever since I can remember.  I’m one of those kids that can’t go a day without listening to a song or two from my favorite band.  It’s amazing how music has the power to change and/or set a mood.  No matter what type of music you’re into, I know you’ve had this happen.  Whether you’re in a bad mood, feeling down, upset, or angry, music that resonates with you can turn your mood completely around, lifting you up.  For me, I find everything about my favorite types of music inspiring.  The pieces.  Lyrics, each separate instrument, beat, tone, rhythm.  And the whole.  The inspiration I draw from music is as diverse as music itself.  One day, I might hear a song and be inspired to just tap my foot along with the beat.  The next day I may hear another song and be inspired to write something or paint.  At the moment, the artist I have in heavy rotation on my iPod is Celldweller.  Something about Klayton’s sound and overall style really gets my creative mind turning.  Along with Celldweller, Blue Stahli, IAMX, The Birthday Massacre, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Gackt, Gary Numan, Type O Negative (R.I.P. Peter Steele), and many others constantly inspire me.

# 11 – Myths & Legends

Tying in to my love of books, reading, and research, I’ve always found myself drawn to myths and legends.  Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, epic poems like Beowulf and Gilgamesh, they all have something for everyone.  Fantasy, romance, adventure, moral lessons, etc.  I find it interesting how some stories can have so many different versions but still be constant, still withstand the passage of time.  I also find creation myths extremely interesting.  I find it awesome how there are so many different stories out there about how the world, and we, came to be.

# 12 – Nature

Where to even start on this topic.  Nature is the original inspiration for me and so many other things.  Rivers, trees, rocks, flowers, the ocean, the sound of the rain, the sky and stars, everything inspires in different ways and I can’t get enough.  A simple walk in the woods or along a beach, in good weather or foul, can do so much.  If you look at my photography a majority of it captures some aspect of nature.  Nature has an amazing way of revitalizing and rejuvenating not only itself but us as well.  Ok, so I’m getting kind of new agey here but hey, that’s me!  I get a burst of energy when I go on a hike with my camera in hand, a natural high.  Where others would reach for the TV remote, I put on my hiking boots and head out.  The smell of ocean air, fresh pine, lilacs, etc, really invigorate and inspire me.  I get inspired to work on my artistic endeavors, taking care of myself, and the planet as well.  I become more focused on my health after I’ve been outside.  I feel better after I’ve been outside.  When I walk on the beach I pick up things that don’t belong there, bottles, cans, and other pieces of garbage.  Seeing things like that in beautiful natural settings inspires me to not only work harder myself to keep our environment clean but also to pick up some of the slack that others leave.  If more people would stop and take a moment to look, I mean really look and actually see the natural world around them, and learn to appreciate and care for it, this Earth might have a better chance for a brighter future.  Too “Public Service Announcement”?  Maybe, but it’s true.

# 13 – People

What can I say, people are inspiring.  Now, I’m not talking about a celebrity inspiring you to dress a certain way or buy a certain product, that couldn’t be further from what I’m aiming at here.  I’m talking about the people who inspire you to do the right thing, to be a better person, to make good choices, to go for your dreams and goals, and to give back to your inner circle, community, and the world.  When you look back on your life and are asked specifically about “who” inspired you, most often the answer includes grandparents, parents, siblings, teachers, mentors, friends, or any combination.  Those people tend to have the most contact with us and usually the most effect on us.  No one can forget the grandparent/parent that encouraged and supported them in everything they did.  No one can forget that one favorite teacher that took an interest in them beyond what was expected.  Our lives are shaped by not only the choices we make but also the people we meet and take with us along the journey (wow, how profound of me, huh?).  For me, my parents, brother, and several teachers over the years have inspired me.  I’ve come across the good and the bad and have learned from it all.  I’ve grown.  I’ve changed.  I’ve been inspired in every way.

# 14 – Skeleton Keys

Again with the simple things, I know but skeleton keys are just awesome.  Admit it.  You think they’re cool too.  Just the look, the feel of a skeleton key in my hand sparks something in my brain.  It gets me thinking, who owned it?  What was behind the locked door, gate, or in the box or trunk, the key opened?  Etc.  I have my own little collection of skeleton keys going so if anyone has any they want to unload, send ‘em my way!

# 15 – The Web

The web lets us connect instantly to…well…everything really.  As everyone knows, that when you log on to the web, you can find artists, musicians, businesses of all kinds, and information up the yin yang.  If you know what you’re looking for, and even if you don’t, you can more than likely find it somewhere on the web.  Inspiration is no exception.  Look at a random website.  Even if you’re not really interested in the content or service it’s advertising, you might still find something interesting or inspiring.  A color.  A design.  A typeface.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

# 16 – Writing

Where would the world be without writing?  Without writing, we’d have no books, no newspapers, no magazines, no web.  Writing itself is an inspirational art.  Not just the content being written but the physical act of writing.  Like I said in the last post under the journaling section, putting a pen or pencil to a page can be very freeing and therapeutic.  I’ve noticed that with the advent of the internet, the written word seems to be a bit more plentiful but at the same time the “written” word is dying out.  What I mean here is that people are using email, blogs, and such to communicate.  While that’s all fine and dandy, what about letters?  They have their own aesthetic that can be appreciated from the paper choice, to the writing utensil, to the penmanship.  As I’ve told many people, I’m in the process of writing two novels and I made the choice to write them out longhand.  I find the quality of my writing is better and I have more ideas when I physically put a pen to paper than when I tap keys.

Well, I think that’s all folks.  There are so many other things that I draw inspiration from but I figured I’d just cover the big ones.  I’m always interested in seeing what inspires other people, so I would recommend that, if you have time, take a moment to think about your sources of inspiration and maybe even throw together your own blog post!

Until next time…

Keep on rockin’ on!

[^_^]

~A.M.

New post on my new blog. What inspires me? I’ll tell you. Go check it…

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Inspiration Station Vol 1

Posted on April 10, 2010 | Comments Off on Inspiration Station Vol 1

To be honest here, I never really gave much in-depth thought to what inspires me until recently.  If someone asked me “What inspires you?” I would probably have shrugged my shoulders and had to grope blindly in the dark recesses of my mind for an acceptable answer.

Luckily, a recent blog post by an awesome photographer that I admire got me thinking.  I started making a list of everything that I’ve found inspiration in over the years no matter how little.  I actually surprised myself at how much there was.

Obviously I won’t be going into great detail on every little item, but there’s still enough that I think I may have to break this up into more than one post.  You know, wouldn’t want a post so freakishly long that people end up falling asleep in the middle of it!

Now, these are things that inspire me not only in my photography but in my other artistic endeavors as well as life itself.  So I’ll get right down to business here.

#1 – Art

I know, this is an extremely broad topic.  Anything can be considered art these days, and I guess that in and of itself can be, and is, a form of inspiration.  I find a lot of inspiration in the works of others.  Looking at a painting, piece of jewelry, handmade book, piece of digital art, collage, or performance piece gets the wheels turning in my head.  Now, I’m not talking just the work of the masters of each field.  Yeah that’s a great place to start but there are some amazing pieces being created by people who are still unknown to the mainstream.  When I look at a piece of art, whatever it may be, I start to wonder things like “How’d the artist do that?”, “What was going through the artist’s head when they made this?”, “Is the impression I get from this piece the real message the artist is trying to convey to me?”, etc.  I won’t get in-depth into the good vs. the bad, but they both have their merits when it comes to inspiration.  When it comes down to it, like I’ve been told by many an art professor, art is subjective.  I’ve found that it’s through that subjectiveness that each person finds their own inspiration.

#2 – Books

Some people would call me crazy but I can’t stand the thought of living without books.  I’m an avid reader and I can’t even begin to tell people how many books I have in my collection.  Honestly, I don’t think I could tell you if you asked me!  Let’s just say it’s a lot.  And I don’t go for the mobile hand-held readers or the e-books.  While they have their own merits, I prefer a physical hard copy book.  Without even getting into the actual story contained in the pages, I tend to draw inspiration from just the aesthetic of the book.  The cover design, the weight of the book in one’s hand, the sound of a page turning, even the atmosphere and smell of a used book store all spark something for me.  It’s a bit difficult for me to explain but I’m sure the book lovers out there know what I’m saying!  Then there’s the whole world inside the pages.  I’m a Science Fiction / Fantasy reader so when I say “world“, I mean it!  I love being transported from this matrix we call reality into a new, obscure, even dark place.  Reading inspires me in so many things from my art to photography to my own writing.  A few authors I’m digging at the moment (for those that are interested) include: Anne Bishop (“The Black Jewels“ trilogy), David Eddings (“The Elenium“ series and subsequent “The Tamuli“ series), The Maine Master of Horror Stephen King (pretty much everything he‘s written), Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (“The Death Gate Cycle” series), and so many more.

#3 – Cameras

Being a photographer, the camera is essential.  Really?  You don’t say!  It’s true I tell you!!  But seriously now, it goes deeper than that.  Like books, I get inspiration from the aesthetic of a camera.  I have always been drawn to cameras.  A little box that can freeze a moment in time was just such an awesome concept to me.  Looking at antique cameras always sets my imagination off like a bullet.  It makes me want to learn more not only about the physical workings of the camera, but also its story.  Where it had been, who had owned it, what kind of pictures it had taken, etc.  Before I knew it, I had a small collection of antique cameras started.  Some I picked up at an antique store, others were given to me by my father which had belonged to my grandfather.  When I see a camera, new or antique, I’m inspired to simply pick it up (This is fair warning to never leave your camera lying within my reach!), not even to take a picture really, though that does tend to follow, but to hold it, get the feel of it, channel its energy (for those of you like myself that believe in that).  It sounds simple.  Holding a camera.  Yeah, it is simple, but sometimes the most simple things can be the most inspiring.  Right?

#4 – Doing research the old-fashioned way…

…Using a library.  This ties in with my love of books.  While yes, the internet is an amazing and terrifically fast resource for researching something, there’s nothing like sitting down at a table in a quiet library with a notebook and several reference books spread out in front of you.  I was one of those strange little kids that never groaned in annoyance when the teacher assigned a paper that required us to utilize the library for research.  I was probably one of the first ones skipping down the hall, and definitely the only one with a slight smile on my face!  Every time I’ve ever been given a topic to research, it always opened the door to something else.  I’d research what I needed but instead of quitting when that was done, like others would, I was inspired to keep going, keep digging, keep learning.  And that mindset has served me well over the years.

#5 – Glass Bottles

Wait.  What?  Glass bottles?  Yeah, I know that sounds a bit out there but like I said earlier, simple things…  There are endless sizes, designs, and colors of glass bottles out there and each one can inspire in different ways.  At least, they can for me!  I have a small collection started and each time I look at them I’m inspired artistically by the different forms, lines, sizes, and colors of them.  Even those that are meant to be identical have differences whether it be a slight difference in color or a flaw or two in the glass.  Sometimes flaws make things more charming.

#6 – Hiking

Ah hiking.  A big inspiration for me.  Not only does it get me out into nature, I get exercise.  And everyone knows that when you find a form of exercise that you don’t despise, you’re inspired to make better, healthier choices in your life.  When I’m out hiking, I’m not thinking about problems, challenges, or anything negative.  My head is clear, and when my head is clear I’m clear.  If that makes sense.  I feel better, happier, motivated.  I get inspired to do things to better not only my own life, but the lives of others as well as our planet.

#7 – Japanese Culture

There are just so many things about the culture and ways of the Japanese people, that I find inspiring.  Their art, language, writing, music, and architecture are just a few things to mention.  I find how the Japanese people make even the smallest things into a ritual very interesting.  They take their time with things and really appreciate what’s around them.  The Japanese have a concept called Wabi-Sabi and what that means is basically finding beauty in the imperfect.  I think a lot of my art and photography would fall into this concept.  I don’t always follow the ‘rules’ when it comes to photography (my bad!), but, though many would disagree, I think sometimes the images are stronger for it.  The Wabi-Sabi concept inspires me on a profound level.  Seeing.  Seeing people, things, places, the world in a whole new way.

#8 – Journals & Journaling

Journals, again, tying in to my love of books.  The physical aesthetic of a journal tends to be the inspiration for the things I fill its pages with.  Poetry, short stories, novels, or more personal rants.  Personal rants meaning journaling.  How many kids keep diaries or journals about what they did at school that day, what their sibling did to tick them off the previous night, or what god awful meal their parent just plopped in front of them at dinner?  Too many to count.  Journaling is a way to unload everything in a healthy way.  For those of you out there that don’t keep a journal, I would highly recommend it.  It’s very freeing to be able to get out everything you’ve been carrying around each day, both the good and the bad.  It helps us keep our mental balance, learn from past experiences and mistakes, as well as inspire us to reexamine things, make changes, take action, etc.  I know of some people who have several journals going at once, dedicating them each to a different topic.  And we’ve seen that journals can become inspiring books.  Just think of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Well folks, I think this might be a good place to call it for this round.  I’ll be back in a while with another collection of things that inspire me.  If I haven’t bored all of you to death with all this, then I hope you’ll join me for Vol 2.  Until then, take care and take a moment to stop and think about what inspires you in life and to do what you do.

Keep on rockin’ on!

[^_^]

~A.M.

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I Fail…Fire Me…

Posted on May 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

Yes indeed. I fail.

At what, you ask?

Well…Everything apparently.

I could go into a long drawn out rant full of whining, crying, raging, fuming, and a whole other menagerie of emotions but for the sake of space, time, sanity, and the frakers that don’t really care what I have to say and just read this to see if they can use anything against me, I’ll keep it simple…

1.) I’ve been trying to work on my photography course but haven’t been satisfied enough with what I’m producing to actually turn anything in. (Good thing they give you a couple of years to complete this thing.)

2.) I can’t seem to bring myself to sit down and put a pen to a fraking piece of paper. My novel just might end up dying a premature death.

3.) I can’t seem to find a few items I’ve been searching for online….Like anywhere…

4.) I can’t seem to keep this or any other blog, site, electronic communications device updated on a somewhat regular basis like I had hoped at the beginning.

5.) My “friends” seem to have conveniently forgotten that I exist…..Again.

-And finally-

6.) I think I may have permanently damaged my right index finger. The trunk in my room decided to bite me (the lid fell) and now there’s an ache and a lump in my finger near the middle knuckle that won’t go away (and the trunk attack happened over a month ago).

So, I’ll leave it all there instead of launching into some sort of angst ridden sob story. I’ll save that crap for the personal journal.

Yeah, I fail.

I’m so fired.

Keep on rockin’ on….I guess.

[-_-]

~A.M.

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Slacker Extraordinaire

Posted on April 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

So, here I am, playing on the internet when I should be doing something productive.

What could be more productive than playing on the internet?

For me, plenty.

One, I could be printing out some photos and getting them framed. I’d like to be ready when my professor tells me I can put a show up in the campus gallery (and I’m hoping that’ll happen sometime next year or soon after). But somehow I tend to get off on something else when I start that project. Somehow I find a way to procrastinate even though it’s something I know I need and want to get done.

Oi vey. And I’m not even Jewish!

And two, I could be writing. Oh yes. Writing. My novel has sat there, untouched, unloved, and alone for the past two months now. I’m getting to a point where I’m disgusted with myself for it. One of my new year’s resolutions was to write five pages every day, five days a week. I did well in January when I got down about 100 pages but in February, something happened. I missed a day, which turned into two, which turned into a week, and well, next thing I knew, the entire month was over. Yeah yeah, I know, I deserve to be slapped. Just not too hard please.

But speaking of writing, and getting off the topic of this post, I’m thinking of titles. Anyone have any ideas for a title suitable for a science fiction novel?

I know, damn it! Here I am, thinking of titles for my next novel when the first one isn’t even been halfway finished. That’s me though. I start one project and jump to another, then another, then yet another without ever really finishing one. Then either I get bored and abandon one or two completely or, a deadline creeps up and I’m panicking wondering how I’m going to finish everything.

Luckily, I have no deadlines where my writing is concerned (or the photos for that matter). I’ve tried to set goals. Well, I have set goals but attaining them is another story. I’ve tried to set a schedule. Well, I have set a schedule but keeping to it is another story still. Maybe I need someone in an unofficial capacity to set a deadline for me and make up some reward if I meet it or a punishment if I don’t. Maybe that would get me off my ass and make me a bit more productive.

I need help to shake my tendency to procrastinate, to shed my title as “slacker extraordinaire,” and get down to business. I need to get things done but I need a swift kick in the ass to do it. Unfortunately though, I’m not limber enough yet to get my foot into the proper position to kick my own ass. Wanna help?

Keep on rockin’ on!

[^_^]

~A.M.

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