Grr. Argh.

I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to write about this evening, but it’s time to post again, and there are definitely things rolling around in my head. Some are postable (post-worthy is arguably too pretentious for them), some are not, but no time like the present to find out!

I’m pretty sure I mentioned it before, but my friends Eli and Megan broke up recently. This has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the both of them, I’m sure. They’ve been processing it differently, though, which has caused a bit of… hmm, strife in the overall breakup. Namely, Eli has been externalizing, being very vocal about how he is feeling, and open about his needs. Megan has been far more internalizing as far as I can tell, and has been processing how she’s feeling either by herself, or with a few close friends.
Continue reading

New Images

I’ve added some more images to the gallery, and do plan to start organizing them all into sections… I’m not entirely sure when, though. Hopefully soon.

For those who are too lazy to click twice (once on the gallery link, and once on the “natural order” link in the gallery), here is a direct link.

SLOW: Children at Play

I’m currently sitting in the Redmond Town Center Mall, which is this very rich, very ritzy outdoor mall. It is in the mid to upper 50s, and sunny, which means that it is mildly busy with housewives and small children. Not horribly by any means, just enough to be noticeable. What is remarkable about this to me is that none are screaming, crying, or having tantrums. It reminds me that children can in fact be delightful fun when they are happy, playing in the fountain (one obviously meant to be played in, no less). There is a collection of 3 or 4 children, none of whom are over 5, playing in the water (the fountain is flush with the ground, and rather remarkable, with a large brass bear (and two smaller cubs playing) sitting guard over it all.

Teenagers have also started infiltrating the mall, as school is out. They are well dressed and pretty clearly the children of some of the wealthier denizens of the area. They are also hanging around the fountain, and are being remarkably well behaved and friendly to the small children. After visiting east coast malls, this is a refreshing change, and I’m fairly impressed. I’m a big fan of people behaving respectfully to everyone around them, leaving the chipped shoulders elsewhere. After all, the sun is out, now is not a time to be pissy.
Continue reading

On the Subject of Music (1000 Words)

I was originally going to write about music, and I still may. I’ve got iTunes on with an ecclectic playlist running through my headphones (I’ve no wish to keep Mickey up). Some songs just grab me and beg to be talked about, but then end before I can even really get started, and I don’t want to loop just one song for that. Then there are other songs that I really just have no wish to talk about. I enjoy them purely for the sake of enjoying them, and don’t feel compelled to say much at all, beyond perhaps “Tee hee. Whip it! Into shape!”

Okay, I’m going to at least go back to one that I want to write about. Let’s look at DJ Krush, Song 1 off “Zen”. I’ve listened to the other songs on the album, and none really fit quite as well as thing song. It has a simple beat, with some instrumentals laid over to give variety and flavor… very simple, and absolutely beautiful in my opinion. Complexity has its place, yes, but runs the risk of simply becoming “how much can I add?” That completely misses the point of creating music that uniquely and eloquently grasps a mood, a mode of thought, a viewpoint, a vibe, an aura, an energy, call it what you will. Some music “gets it” and some decidedly does NOT.
Continue reading

Back in the Saddle Again

I’m not entirely sure whether this will prove to be a short post or a long one yet, so please bear with me. It’s been a long time since I really sat down and wrote an entry, despite feeling that I should (and in fact missing the feeling). I have a number of things that I would like to write longer, more thoughtful, drawn out posts about, things such as UberCon, and all the surrounding brouhaha that has accompanied it (almost all of it positive, however, or at the very least not negative).

But not right now.
Continue reading

Essay: The Motive to Create

For many people (myself included), there are few things quite so difficult as the act of starting something. No matter how much passion for a given subject that I might have, taking the necessary steps to begin the act of creation is always difficult, stressful, and time consuming. Even now, as I write this, my attention is vying for anything other than this essay, ranging from traffic nearby to lint underneath the keys of my laptop keyboard (how frustrating in an innocuous way). I redact my writing as I am writing it, constantly going back and deleting, correcting, amending, which disturbs the flow of getting the intial thought OUT, so I can then move on with the rest of the essay. In so many ways, attempting to write out my thoughts is a waste of time, even before we delve into the psychological censor we impose on ourselves, making it sometimes (often times) emotionally wearing or even painful to write. So why do we write? Why do we draw, or paint, or sculpt, photograph, sing, compose, why do we go through so much trouble to create, go through the growing pains where no part of it even feels rewarding?

We build houses because we need a place to live. So what essential need is satisfied by building a sculpture? Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way, said that “The creator made us creative. Our creativity is our gift from God. Our use of it is our gift to God. Accepting this bargain is the beginning of true self-acceptance.” I think that very well might be a major part of it. At the risk of expanding in a possibly pedantic way, we create, even (and sometimes especially) when it is painful to do so, because it our way of communicating spiritually. There is a lot of talk nowadays about different types of intelligence, such as emotional intelligence. There has been at least a few remarks of artists being more emotionally intelligent than, say, a scientist or engineer. But that isn’t necessarily always true, and really doesn’t satisfy the particular way that artists are able to communicate. I think, perhaps, artists of various types (writers, painters, et cetera) have developed a spiritual intelligence. Those individuals who exhibit a natural predisposition towards art have a higher natural spiritual intelligence. I think emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence are closely related, but the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that they really aren’t the same thing. There is a rampant misconception that artists are automatically more “in tune” with their emotions which, knowing and being related to a variety of artists of varying caliber, I can comfortably say is completely erroneous.