New Horizons

I landed myself a new job. Which means no graduate school, but I'm liking this better. I really do believe I'll be able to be creative there! I'm excited!

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

When I was a kid climbing the Big Red Rock was a big deal. Every spring we would have a picnic under its shadow and then I would do my best to struggle up to the top. Of course in reality you can ride your horse or four-wheeler up the backside, but as a kid I didn't know that. I thought I was doing some major rock climbing. When I got to the top I always thought I could see forever. Then I got to hear stories about Grandpa hunting for beads left by Indians atop that rock. Grandma used to sing "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" when I was little. The picture in my head was always the Big Red Rock. I couldn't think of a place any more perfect. When I went to college the Big Red Rock became a symbol of home. Today I climbed the Big Red Rock just for fun. The view is still spectacular. Honestly, I still feel a sense of accomplishment. It was a still a gorgeous view. Some things change, somethings don't, and sometimes the change is all in the eye of the beholder.

Weight Watchers

This morning we check weighed the steers and put in the Angus Source tags. The sale is on Monday. Big day out of the year. A huge amount of income based on how well our steers look and how the cattle market is doing. This year was different because we didn't grain the steers this winter. Of course the check weigh didn't prove that much really because it was the steers first day off of grass and they didn't have breakfast. Image going from a steak dinner with all the fixings to dried out gas station hot dogs. Your first day wouldn't be the heaviest weight either. As we were weighing the steers I was thinking about how to get them to gain a little weight. I had to laugh. For months I've been trying to drop the pounds and I knew all sorts of ways to lose weight, but what all would make the steers gain weight. :) Really in the grand scheme of things- they don't have that much to gain. Still-I was thinking.

This afternoon some relatives from California came by. They are fun, but it is a different thing. I hurriedly cooked a strawberry rhubarb cobbler and tried to prepare myself for company. The fact is I really am shy, so I didn't even really mention much about my website or this blog, and only showed some old contact prints as far as my photography was concerned. If I were smart about this whole marketing thing I would be speaking up at every opportunity. I'm not. How do I go about it without seeming self-centered or self-absorbed? It's something I consistently struggle with, and hence, I'm not getting the exposure I need.

Zapped

Today was the day to bring the steers in from the hills. We left at 5:00 this morning. Nothing to it. But when I got home and laid down... I wanted to sleep so bad. Except the phone kept ringing and the dogs kept barking and it took a while to get that sleep in. I didn't have the gift of the brothers and friends to sleep through it all. I managed to grab a few winks, but then I had no motivation. So creation... No way. My educator's brain was going though.

A 12 year old admitted to me that he couldn't read today. He still doesn't pronounce his "r"s. How do you convince people of the importance of education? I fully admit that these children have forever tainted my view of "home-schooling." One of my literacy classes covered how important it is for children to master certain skills by age eight. What will become of those who fall through the cracks? I believe fully in the freedom of this country. It allows us to accomplish amazing feats, unfortunately some people choose the trickier path and sometimes others are drug along for the ride.

Barns, Doors, and Junk

I had a few minutes to shoot today. I was waiting for Dad to get the baler down there. It was fun. I walked over to a junk pile and did some shooting there. I'm curious to see how some of those come out for my Nature Reclaims portfolio. As I was shooting I was wondering what attracts people to paint/draw/photography/sculpt what amounts to JUNK. I love it! I know there are large amounts of art done in this vein, but I can't help myself. Old rusted out items always remind me that someone was there before. Someone who cared, who put large amounts of effort into survival, and for one reason or another, a one time useful item was left to rest and rot away.

After shooting most of a roll at the junk pile, I migrated over to explore the barn. There are always amazing treasures in barns. I'm not sure what it is that attracts people to barns either. There are loads of pictures of barns, new and old. Kids love to play in barns. Even most adults have total respect for a barn. So what is it? While I was wandering around the loft of this particular barn, I took notice of the doors. There are three doors in the loft of this barn. And you know what? I couldn't help but open every single door and see what I could see. Doors are like barns and junk. They stimulate the imagination. You can't help but wonder what is hidden behind the door. Those "Authorized Personnel Only" doors always get me. Or the ropes that go across the doorway prohibiting people from entry like at the capitol building. Come on-Admit it. You want to jump that rope and see what there is to see just as much as I do.

Dam

A task that usually takes the crew 2-3 hours took the whole family almost all day today. I had thought about taking my camera down there, but I knew I would be in the creek and water and cameras aren't always a good combination. I did miss some good shots that way. The dogs were very curious about the whole process of putting the dam in. Floating logs, sticks, and straw certainly got Boomer's attention. If it is one thing that dog loves, it's a stick. It probably isn't that big of a loss that I left my cameras today. I have a big decision looming. A job offer in a location I don't want to live in, and three potential job offers in places I could live. So now what? That is what is occupying my mind right now. Maybe it isn't that relevant to my photo site, but it does factor into how creative I can be. That and my sunburn today. OUCH!

Downtime

It's funny weather in this part of Wyoming right now. The TV speaks of heat waves in the rest of the country. Here I sit, wearing my second warmest coat while inside, watching as the trees move in the wind. Somehow I should be excited for another day off. A chance to go out and be creative. Instead, I sit here wishing the light were better and looking at the long to do list. Pay that bill, enter that competition... Juried competitions are some of my least favorite parts of the art world. It's all an individually subjective way to sucker artists into lengthening that exhibition record. Art, like everything else in the country is all about a piece of paper and connections.

The Senses

I did some shooting yesterday as my mother, my brother, and I tried to fix fence despite the elements. Snow drifts, storms, and runoff seemed to do their best to prevent that task from finishing. My brother and I were going over some fence around home and again it started to rain. I would love to be able to photograph the scent of rain. There is nothing so perfect and pure as the scent of rain. I can hear the sarcastic comments from people right now-they are completely different senses. I know. I know. But seriously, the greatest art evokes an emotion perhaps a memory. To evoke the memory of the scent of rain, as pure and true as if you were standing in it. Now that's art.

Better Viewing

Don't want to looking at tiny pictures? My website is a work in progress, but check it out at http://www.silvervoyagesphotography.com

Photography on Hold

So...
I got into the MFA program, but do I want to make teaching photography a career? Who knows? I'm waiting to see how the teaching elementary pans out. I haven't been getting the great shots lately. Creativity has disappeared. I'm not sure where it went, but I need to get with it. So much to do, so little time. For now, I'm just doing the ranching thing. Maybe I'll get a new folder up of pictures of that. But I need to get back to photo. So much to work on, so little time.
My three projects I need to be working on:
Four Generations (due 6/2009)
Unconventional Beauty
Nature Reclaims