28 August 2009

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff




Yeah you know some day I should really purchase that book and maybe read it. Think that'll help me and my weird self out a bit? Hmm... *scratches head*

Yeah so the reason for the title has really nothing to do with stressing out or going nuts or panicking or any of that jazz...at least not at the moment, but what it's referring to, why I chose it as a subject header? Because during my most recent trip to Chicago I found myself wondering, thinking a lot about us, about people in general and how there are thousands, hell millions, of people out there in the world and we all get so busy, so caught up in our every day lives, every day stressors that we trump right along, racing, rarely slowing down, always in a rush to get here or there and in that every day hay day we always forget one small thing, one tiny little thing that at the time doesn't seem important but the older you get the more you take notice that all along while you're rushing around like a madman (or woman) trying to make ends meet, caught up in the rat race and everyday hustle and bustle that some where along the way you forget to look down or around or notice things that ordinarily are so pretty, so unique and so amazing but are sadly severely overlooked.

To what am I referring? To all the little things underfoot, before us, right in front of our very eyes, those small tiny little miracles or beautiful creations that if for one moment we'd just stop and take notice we might realize that the world really is a truly amazing place...

And what did I do with all that thinking and such? I took to photographing the overlooked, the small tiny things that few ever take notice to because they're so busy in their lives, we all are so very rushed that we never slow down and just say "oh". The end result of this unique, odd strain of thinking? I have tons of interesting pics (well interesting to me that is) of the small, minute, unnoticed, unseen that most people trample right over or stumble on by or never look up to see. It's sad really that some where along the way we all just sort of forget to stop and really look at our environments, look at what's around us and before us and just enjoy it all.



For those who are interested, curious or just need to know these pictures were all taken by me in the city of Chicago. The first pic was taken outside the Art Institute, the second is carved into one of the floors of the Garfield Conservatory and the third was taken outside the Field Museum. Goes to show that even in a big HUGE city there is beauty that is often unseen or vastly overlooked. :)

The wonders...of Seagulls??



Yes indeed seagulls is what I said and why? Well as I was driving into town today I started thinking about some of the pics I took in Chicago and my mind zeroed in on Sea Gulls. Why? Well, like I said my mind was wandering and I started thinking about an awesome picture I took of a sea gull at Navy Pier on Wednesday. As I thought more on the subject I realized that there's not been a single trip gone by in which I didn't photograph a sea gull...except maybe when I went to Australia last March. Other than that one trip I've taken at least one picture of a sea gull on each trip I've taken.

Why? Well, I know some people look at sea gulls and think ew they're dirty, or they're just not pretty...not true, so NOT true! I find them intriguing and interesting and like to think that they have literally "adopted" me since they seem to arrive at every place around the world I've vacationed in. I remember my first year in Vancouver, BC. I was walking in Stanley Park and this sea gull started following me. The person I was with at the time made a joke about my friendly buddy that just kept following us as if to ask, to implore that I would kindly take his picture. I wasn't going to take the picture of the sea gull. Seriously a sea gull who likes to see pictures of them? Yeah. Not happening, nope, no way, not in this life but...

Yeah I was suckered in I tell you! He kept following me and posing all prettily as if to say "please, please won't you take my picture!"

The person I was with told me I had a friend for life and that he'd probably follow me all the way back to my house. Well, he didn't but others did. Other sea gulls appeared as if by magic where I vacationed, and me? I just had to take a picture. So now I have these loads of travel pics from all my vacations I've taken since 2001 and interestingly among just about all of them there rests one little picture of a sea gull. Why? Well, I just feel this odd urge to photograph them and so I can say I'm a photographer of sea gulls. They follow me everywhere, well just about everywhere and still when I see them I get this big smile on my face, I prep my camera raising it ever so slowly while working the zoom lens and prepare to take yet another picture of yet another sea gull. Hey what can I say it seems to be an addiction of a sorts or something. : )

I'm here...

even though I'm strangely absent. It's awkward you know having two online journals and having posted to neither in well over a month. I swore I would turn a new leaf and start posting more consistently. I decided on the spur of the moment to create this journal here where I'm alone, as no one seems to be following me even now. Ah well I wanted a journal where I could post my artwork, explore my newly developing artsy side and even share my travel stories and pics. What's holding me back? Well, there's no audience to scoff at me or say "that's just plain stupid" and there's no one out there to stumble onto my journal and tell me that my journal is just plain boring and uninteresting either so it's not that. Some day there will be people but now in this particular moment in time I'm by my wee little self here trying to stick to a vow that yes I'll post more often only to realize that again things are being...forgotten? Neglected? I don't know but somehow life gets me every time and here I am rambling. I shall try to improve that shortly. Yes my artsy side has exploded recently. I'm experimenting more and liking the end results. I've even fiddled more so than ever before with my photographing...should see some of those pics I took on my trip from Chicago indeed!

I just returned yesterday from the Windy City and decided why not start posting here again. I have my next topic already sitting on the backburner. What's next? Resizing the pic I want to share and formulating a plan of a sorts. Yes so now that I've rambled and got that all off my chest I shall journey back to my other journal and continue reading through my lengthy flist...they are aposting more so than me over there. Ah well...that is in the works to be fixed indeed! *wink*