Psychadelic GIFs
by | posted in: Red Herrings | 1

That’s pronounced like the peanut butter brand, by the way.

At least, that’s how the original creators pronounced it, back when Compuserve was a thing.  They created the GIF as a compressed graphic format to minimize data usage back in the “Days of Dial-up” for Compuserve when modems ruled the Earth.  But, I bet they never thought that their “little” contribution to computer culture would go so far.  For instance, when the GIF came out, it didn’t have animation as a part of its specification.  It was just a compressed graphics display format.  It was only after its adoption by Compuserve, in fact, that animations became possible for GIF files.

Since then, though, it’s become an art form.  Truly.
Don’t believe me?  Go take a look at this article at This Is Colossal about the animated GIFs of David Szakaly.  They’re incredible!  You may need to give that page just a moment to load, because some of the GIFs pack a lot of visual power and it may take a minute before your browser can completely load the full looping graphic.  It’s worth the wait though.  The article also tells you a little bit about Mr. Szakaly’s artistic path and how his art evolved to the point of making such amazing animated GIFs.

And, since it’s Friday, and, frankly, we’re both slacking at this point, if you want to see more of these incredible animations from David Szakaly, check out his Tumblog that’s just filled with the most amazing, mezmerizing GIFs you’ve ever seen; dvdp.  It’s truly incredible!  I’ll sit and watch those all afternoon, or at least until it’s time to go home or I get yelled at by someone important for slacking on Friday.
(One final note, don’t get thrown off by the navigation on his Tumblog.  To get to the next page of animated GIFs, click the double-minus sign next to the word “time:” at the bottom of the page.)
Y’all have a great weekend!

 

Fast Fiction
by | posted in: Red Herrings, The Infinite Library | 1

In this case, really fast.

I’ll be honest, I’m not normally a huge fan of gimmicky flash fiction, but I do make exceptions.
The basic idea is to write a story with the fewest number of words possible.  According to literary legend, Ernest Hemingway did it with just six words; “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn”.  That was allegedly to win a bet with Ezra Pound, as I recall.  In any case, it’s still a gimmick and one that’s gotten a little popular over the years.  Back in November, IO9, the science-fiction website, had a contest, of sorts, to write some similarly very short stories with a sci-fi bent.  (You can see that first post, with the stories in the comments at Write Some Very, Very Short SciFi for IO9! on their site.)
Well, they’ve done it again, recently and collected what they thought were the best at These flash science fiction stories will keep you up all night!  But, I have to say, with each iteration, I’m a little less impressed.  (You can find all the IO9 posts of these six word science fiction stories by clicking the link.)

Hey, it’s Friday, so why not go check some out.  Or, even write a few of your own!
You know you weren’t doing anything more interesting if you were reading my blog today, anyway.  And, if you do write one, share it here in the comments!

T-Shirts
by | posted in: Personal Care, Red Herrings | 1

People who know me, know that I love my goofy t-shirts.

You know, it’s been a long couple of months and I’m pretty drained creatively, in part due to being super busy at my day job, so I’ve kind of given up sharing anything but purely fun links on Fridays for the next couple of weeks. Deal with it.

This week, it’s t-shirt sites.
Yes, I wear a lot of strange and interesting t-shirts from a lot of places.  I don’t remember why I started doing it anymore, but a number of years ago I started buying t-shirts with funny sayings and art on them.  It probably started with an Order of the Triad t-shirt based on the Venture Brothers cartoon that I got from TeeFury.  I loved the stuff that TeeFury came out with but the problem was that they only had a particular design available for 24 hours and I often forgot to check the site, so I missed out on some great ones.  That led me to seek out other places for cool shirts.  The next place I found was Threadless, based out of my old stomping grounds, Chicago.  They had more cool designs that were still limited in production, which made them a little more high-end than just any mass-produced t-shirt from Target or wherever, and many of them had a science-fiction or fantastical theme to them.  The two sites started me looking for other shirts that were quirky and geeky and fun, just like me.  So, I kept an eye out for t-shirts that were made as if they came out of science fiction movies and books, as if they were brands from within the movie, for example.  Searching for that led me to get a couple shirts from Last Exit To Nowhere, where I got shirts with imagery drawn from both the Aliens franchise and an obscure science-fiction movie called Silent Running, that I loved as a kid.
I added geekier t-shirts to that mess from DEF*CON and The Open Organization Of Lockpickers, just because I fly my geek colors pretty high these days.

Of course, I can’t stop buying t-shirts now, no matter how strongly my blushing bride suggests that I have enough, even if I know she’s so right that it makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes.  So, I do curtail my t-shirt avarice and admire, but have not yet bought anything from The History League, which are important historical events or personages transformed into something that resemble sports teams.  (I especially covet The Copernican Revolution, The Indulgences of Pope Leo XI, and the Legions of Rome.  Check them out to see why!)  And, I still would love to get a couple t-shirts from Memetic Tees that were inspired by William Gibson’s [amazon_link id=”0441569595″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Neuromancer[/amazon_link] books, because he’s one of my favorite authors.
But, really, I should listen to my very smart wife, who’s a professional organizer and decorator, and not buy any more t-shirts, no matter how cool they are, until I get rid of some of the old ones.  Of course, that won’t keep me from encouraging my readers to go buy some fun t-shirts!  And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re too old for a fun t-shirt or two ( or three or…)!  Just have fun and enjoy yourself!

Free Movies
by | posted in: Red Herrings | 1

Some are better than others, but at least they’re free.

So, yeah, I’m pretty tapped out when it comes to creativity or creative content this week.  It’s kind of been a busy, challenging week in a lot of ways and I just am drained of whatever little bit of creativity I may have this week.  I mean, I’m just out.  But, I post something every Friday, so I’m trying to maintain that little bit of consistency at least.
At least my frustration can be my readers’ gain, as I dip into my old list of saved links and see what fun thing I can dredge up for you.

So, this week, it’s free movies thanks to Zero Dollar Movies.  According to the site, it’s “… a collection of 15,000 movies that are available on YouTube for free. The site indexes only full-length films and no trailers, rentals or partial uploads.”  But, I have to admit, it also looks like there is some pirated stuff in there, too, so if that’s a problem, you should know that may come up in searches if you go to the site.
They’re organized by release date, mostly, but there’s a pretty decent search function, too, so you should be able to find something that interests you.  I suggest just browsing what’s available and checking out the strangest movie that catches your eye.  Hey, it’s free, so why not give something really out of your normal comfort zone a try

It is, after all, a Friday, and you probably don’t have anything to do anyway if you’re reading my site, so check out Zero Dollar Movies and have some fun!

Finding New Things To Photograph
by | posted in: On Creativity, Photography, Stimulus and Production | 1

I write a lot about photography here, which is a little like dancing about architecture.

I’ve kind of lost my way with photography subjects.
I’m too busy to do some of the things I used to do, like wander the streets aimlessly during festivals and just go hang out in Galveston on a cloudy day.  I still go to the Houston Zoo, but not as often as I used to.  Besides, let’s face it, after three years of going every month, even that diverse, active, ever-changing subject can get a little boring to shoot.  I mean, it starts to feel like you’ve made every possible shot of every possible animal.  And, frankly, if I don’t feel passion for a subject, it’s hard to make myself sit and edit photos.  Because, if I’m being honest, my photos need a LOT of editing!
In fact, the most passion I’ve felt for taking photos has been taking photos for my wife’s business, The Organizing Decorator.  I mean, it’s something I believe in, because I believe in her.  It’s a kind of shoot that I wouldn’t normally seek out for myself, but since it’s serving her needs, it makes me feel good to do it.
But, I need to branch out a bit more.
So, what to do?
Well, since I have an enormous backlog of photography blog reading, I just pulled up one of my old favorites and checked to see what he had to say.  The post was aptly titled, Trying To Find Something To Photograph, and by Scott Bourne.  I’ll let you read that for yourself, but, the essence of it is to find something that I’m passionate about.  Or that I associate with a strong feeling of some kind.
That’s good advice.  Art, according to my artist friend, Mark Flood, art is about making an emotional connection.  Now, I struggle with the idea that I’m an artist of any kind, since I feel like most of my photography is pretty work-a-day and, at best, craftsman-like, but, in my best work I strive for an emotional connection with the viewer.  My intent, when I’m conscious of it, is to stir the emotions of the people who view my art.  I think I mostly achieve that, but, I get rusty.
So, as Scott suggests, I need to ask myself, what do I believe in?  What photographic subjects move me?  What am I an expert at doing or showing?  How can I help someone with my photography?  And, most importantly, how can I push myself out of my own comfort zone with my photography and find some new ground to conquer?

I know how I’ve helped my wife, and being of service even in that small way feels good, but I don’t know yet how to answer those other questions.
How would you?

 

The Portable Strobist
by | posted in: Photography, The Tools | 1

Now, you can take David Hobby with you on the road!

Okay, not really.  I mean, I suppose you can if you’re Joe McNally or somebody like that, but guys like me, and my faithful readers (both of you!), probably can’t afford to actually take the famous Strobist with us on a shoot.  (If you’re not familiar with David Hobby or his blog, The Strobist, you really should check it out, by the way.  He used to post a lot more frequently than he currently does, but what he still posts is pretty golden.)  If you’re a hard-core amateur photographer, you’ve at least heard of him, and maybe read a blog post or two, but you may not be familiar with his Lighting 101 course.  It’s a free, web-based course on flash photography.  But, to just say that is, well, like saying that Godzilla is just a big lizard from Tokyo.  This course takes you from knowing next to nothing about your flash and teaches you to not only move that flash gun off your camera, but to use it intuitively to create better, more interesting, more creative photos.  Thousands of people have started their exploration of flash and photographic lighting with this free course.

Well, there’s a way to take that genius with you, even to places where you might not be able to get a decent wifi signal to save your life.  I’ve known about this course for a while, but I recently found out that it’s also available in an easy to use, easy to transport, PDF file!  That’s pretty cool!  Now, you can take that file anywhere you go, on any computer that you use, regardless of whether it’s a Mac or a Windows machine, and teach yourself flash photography at your own pace!  And, you can even print out sections for when you want to have the reference while you’re away from any kind of computer.

I missed seeing David Hobby when he was on the road with Joe McNally on their “Flash Bus” Tour, and I can’t afford their full set of training DVDs, but I can take the time to download this for free and brush up my flash work.  Seems like the price is right to me!  And it is for you, too!  So, go ahead and grab this to start developing your flash photography this weekend!

Creative Lists
by | posted in: On Creativity, The Tools | 1

This is not a new idea.

But, then, I remember hearing when I was in high school that there are no new ideas under the Sun, only new ways to implement them.  And, remember, every story you tell, is uniquely your own.  So, the age-old question about creative ideas, right?  Where do they come from?  The answer I got was that they come in a plain, brown wrapper from Schenectady.  (That was from Frank Herbert, author of [amazon_link id=”0441172717″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Dune[/amazon_link], via a phone call into a radio show.)  The more serious answer was that they sort of well up from the subconscious.  We feed our subconscious heaps and heaps of information and it rattles around in there until some creative alchemy works on it and spits out a new idea.  William Gibson calls the process of collecting that raw material, those nuggets of info that cook and combine into ideas, as adding raw material into “the hopper”.  It’s as good an analogy as any. The problem is, when those transmogrified ideas come back to you, they don’t always do it when it’s convenient to work with them.  And no one wants to lose any of those brilliant ideas, do we?  So, what to do?

Well, over at The Writer’s Room, they have an article talking about collecting some of that info into a “spark file”.  The idea is simple; just throw those random, creative thoughts that we all get and discard over and over again all day long into a file.  I, personally, just use a text file on Dropbox or my [amazon_link id=”B005FNDJHS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Pogoplug[/amazon_link] NAS.  I throw all kinds of random things into those files.  In one, I have links that I collect to work into the regular Friday posts I do here and regular posts at other sites.  In another, I have random ideas about titles and story plots and characters.  I’ve also heard it called an “idea net”.  In fact, I used to have a little [amazon_link id=”8883701003″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Moleskine[/amazon_link] that I had labeled my “idea net”.  Sadly, that got lost, so I started with the text files.  And, when I’m away from my computer, I can just send myself a text message or an email with the idea to add in to the file later.  I know some people use Evernote for all that, which has convenient clients for most smart phones, to make inputting easier.

Of course, there’s no need to limit the use of spark files to writing.  You could easily have a spark file of places you want to shoot photographs, or crazy things to put into a portrait, or some new way of using a flash modifier or what have you.   In fact, the infamous David Hobby of Strobist fame talks about doing just that; keeping a photographic idea list.  Pretty much all the things you’ve ever read about keeping lists, even the venerable and much maligned “to do” list, can be applied to any kind of creative endeavor, whether ultimately expressed via the written word or via a visual medium.  Creativity is creativity.

So, why not start your very own “spark file”, or “idea net” or whatever you want to call it, today?
(Oh, also, happy Valentine’s Day!  Enjoy the crowded restaurants!  Or stay home and enjoy your love!)

Get Started!
by | posted in: On Creativity, Stimulus and Production, Truth and Consequences | 1

So, we’re a month into the New Year.  What have you done so far?

Last month, I posted my fun, hopefully funny, Random Resolution Generator, because, well, everyone seems to make those annual New Year’s Resolutions, but who ever follows through?  As it turns out, almost no one does.  In fact, most people don’t even start, much less follow though.  And, really, getting started is everything.

Go read that last article I just linked to, then come back.  It’s okay, I’ll wait.
Back already?  Great!
So, here’s the thing.  Momentum is real.  Inertia is something that effects more than celestial bodies and speeding cars and billiard balls in physics homework.  It’s a “thing”, as the physicists say.  Bodies at rest want to stay at rest.  Bodies in motion want to stay in motion.  Once a body is in motion in a particular trajectory, it wants to stay on that trajectory and not be diverted.  What’s more, it takes a lot more energy to divert or redirect something that’s already built up some momentum in a particular direction.  Strange, but true.
People are just bodies at rest or in motion.

Personally, I know that once I’m at “rest”, it’s really hard for me to get going again.  I mean, really hard.  To get myself to write this post and queue it up for publication, I had to force myself up out of a comfortable chair where I was wasting time channel-surfing.  I was “at rest”.  But, now that I’ve gotten going, I have plans to write, or edit, several posts, both here and at Diary of a Network Geek, while I’m in a “writing mood”.  Would I have gotten into that mood while staying on my butt in front of the glass teat?  Probably not.  But, now that I’ve started, I’m building writing momentum which I’ll use to prepare original content for my sites that I’ve been theoretically planning on doing for weeks, but could never get motivated enough to actually start doing.
How far will I get?  Who knows, but I do know that, having started, I did more than if I had only thought about starting!

So, get yourself motivated!  Read that article and pick some project, any project, that you’ve been putting off and clock just ten or fifteen minutes worth of work on it and see how far you get.
Remember, you can’t finish anything if you don’t start it first!  So, get started!

Photography Props
by | posted in: On Creativity, Photography, The Tools | 1

I’ve talked a lot about writing this month, so this week, I thought I’d throw in some more photography stuff.

I’ve actually had these links for some time, but I have never gotten around to either sharing them or even actually trying them myself.  Still, I’ve never let a lack of personal experience with something stop me from recommending it to others, so I don’t see why I should keep me from sharing these two links.

First, there’s a tutorial on how to make a cloud from DIYPhotography.net.  The basics are pretty simple.  Just inflate several balloons  and tape them together to make the rough shape of your “prefect” cloud.  Then, like most of us did in grade school at some point, cover that over with paper mache.  Let that dry and harden, then use some good, strong spray-on adhesive and attach polyester fiber (ie. pillow stuffing) and let dry again.  The end result is something that should look like a pretty good cloud which can be used as set decoration or a prop.
One note, though, it can be delicate with just one layer of paper mache, but multiple layers get pretty heavy, pretty quickly, so it may take a bit of experimentation to get the balance of weight to strength just right.  Hit the link for more details and some fantastic photos of a completed cloud!

The other prop tutorial is over at Design*Sponge.  It’s a little more complicated, so I’ll let you get the details at their site, but it’s a tutorial for creating giant flower photographic props.  The end result is pretty spectacular and surreal.  Basically, the tutorial helps you take light-weight colored paper, various kinds of wire and glue, as well as some other odds and ends, and make several varieties of giant flower.  The flowers they made are about the size of the model, so they’re very tall, but, according to the article, are surprisingly light and easy to move around.  Because of the skill involved, I imagine it would take some practice to get the techniques down, but the results seem well worth it.  You really need to go take a look at the photos of the finished project to fully get the impact.  I think you’ll agree that the end result is pretty cool and fun and I may yet take a stab at this with the help of my blushing bride who is far more crafty than I am.

So, I hope these two tutorials have helped inspire you to try using or making some props to add a dash of something extra to your photography, especially your portrait photography, this weekend!  Let me know in the comments if you try either of these or if you have any other projects like them that you’d like to share!

No Excuses!
by | posted in: On Creativity, Truth and Consequences | 1

There are no excuses for not writing.

Even though I make excuses all the time.
The biggest excuse, or “writerly lie”, that I tell myself is that I don’t have enough time.  But, honestly, that’s bullshit.  Because, as it turns out, I always have enough time to drop whatever I’m doing to serve someone else.  I don’t make time for myself and make my writing, or photography, priorities.  My creative pursuits are the first thing to drop by the wayside when I get a little busy or even the slightest bit stressed.

Here’s the thing though; I made time to meditate for the past two weeks.
Yeah, I’ve been taking a meditation class at the Houston Zen Center with my blushing bride, The Organizing Decorator.  We’ve been to three of the five classes in this series, and my darling wife has already attended this class.  Part of our homework was to meditate, if possible, every day.  So, for nearly two weeks now, I’ve found at least fifteen minutes every day in a schedule that I tell myself is too packed to find time to write.  I guess, if I really put my mind to it and wanted it bad enough, I would find the time to write.

In May of last year, I shared Chuck Wendig’s post 25 Lies Writers Tell (And Start To Believe), many of which are excuses for why we can’t write or why our writing isn’t working.  The first and, I would argue, the most common, excuse on that list is “I don’t have time.”  But, if you have time to read blogs like mine, then you have the time to write.  (And, so do I, so, that’s not a real excuse any more!)
The second biggest lie, is the fourth and fifth lies from that list, namely “Oh no!  Writer’s block again!” and “I can only write when my muse allows!”, are closely related.  By that I mean that they are really the same “problem”.  They’re both someone who’s not making time to write on a regular basis.  And, yeah, that’s me.  Or, I suppose you could say that I’ve had writer’s block for the better part of ten years.  Either way, the end result is the same; nothing written.

So, as long as you’re not creating, why not follow that link, again if you looked at it last year with me, and see what excuses you’re giving for not pursuing your creative goals.  It’s okay, most of us have done it.  Just read, chuckle, and then stop doing it.
I’ll do my best to join you in stopping the excuses this year, too.

Oh, and just because this is geared more toward writers than any other type of creative person, don’t think that the same thing doesn’t apply to photographers or painters or sculptors or any other creative calling.  It does and you can find these lies just as applicable to you

 

1 … 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 … 61