shattered anvil
vouching violent skill —
monument

 

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So I spent all day trying to think of something on-topic to jam about, if even for a brief moment, and I think I had a couple of really good ideas.

Unfortunately, they got lost in the shuffle.

And don’t things tend to do that? So now here I am on the dead line, four walls around me. There’s a cat sleeping in the chair, a box for the basement by my foot, not nearly enough shelves for my taste, given the collection of books and Legos in this house, and yet I fear it’s a bit distracting.

I had this weird idea today: what if my office is not the optimal space for me to create in? You know, if you read about creativity and creative spaces they talk about sometimes you’re in the wrong place or going someplace that isn’t conducive and that’s why you have some block to your creativity, and here in my office I have four walls and within them my current “bedroom” feel. I don’t sleep here — not on purpose, anyway — but I have lunchboxes and Legos and Rubik cubes; a Detroit Tigers baseball, books books books, guitars, knitting crap, a trunk full of work clothes, an RC helicopter, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera . . .

(that’s what the King would say, once Julie Andrews had her way)

But I don’t think that’s right. This place is me, and yes — it could use a LOT more shelving. So maybe it’s not the place, but it’s my habits. Or maybe it’s where my head is at! Is it in a laser cutter? Lending new imagery to the phrase “rebuilding a head”? Or is it really just a matter of switching gears yet again?

Is it possible this is less a matter of “how do you solve a problem like my office?” and more like “the hills are alive with the sound of Rob Ross!”

The thought of which brought me around to my real and most current issue here: I get my images from pretty much two groups on Flickr. They are both groups for Creative Commons, which means the images there are free to use. One is pretty much a magic Santa’s bag of photos, and the other one is dedicated to nature, period. While the former has been around longer, the latter has quickly amassed a pool of photos of over six times the size of the former, and contains no picture unsuitable for haiku. My problem, though, is that nearly everyone submitting photos  to the nature group is apparently somewhere without snow, and right now I want snow.

The only natural solution, of course, is that I should beef up the winter picture count with my own photography. So I’ve decided to go shooting tomorrow morning. The great part is, I’m sure I must be meant to do so because I successfully negotiated a half day at work. THE SECOND HALF. When in life does that happen???

I smell adventure in the morning air, and I’m (almost) certain it doesn’t smell like napalm.

Here’s a task for you, though, if you are so inclined: if you like to take pictures and live in a snowy clime, wouldn’t it be great to get out and take some nice pictures and post them for public use? The Creative Commons Nature group on Flickr could really use some snowy submissions. No subject is taboo, as long as the nature is on full throttle. You can set your license, make it noncommercial, with or without modification, et cetera et cetera et cetera . . .

And hey, I’d love to use photos submitted by my blog buds. This is a community, after all, and I dig all of you.