Battling the Blank Page – Photo and 100 Words 92

Nov 18, 2016 | 2 comments

Nothing is so intimidating as a blank page, an empty wall, a new project… the idea of making something out of nothing can be paralyzing. I’ve struggled with this my entire life.

Teenager me would carry around piles of paper in a 3-ring binder, I was always prepared – just waiting for inspiration. The lightning bolts I imagined must strike other writers and artists never struck me, though, so the pages remained mostly blank, aside from some roughness around the edges from my devoted carrying.

Yet, when I was a little kid, I created an entire book out of index cards, without hesitation, and laminated it with strips of scotch tape!

I don’t know what taught me to overthink creativity, or wait around for lightning strikes… but eventually I realized that inspiration is hardly ever convenient. Staring at a blank page never invokes inspiration for me. Making mistakes on a blank page does, though. Taking chances does too. Just making anything, even if it’s horrible, is the best way to find the little lightning bolts that will spark you to keep going.

My point is that inspiration will never be looking for you, you have to go find it.

P.S. Nobody taught me that lesson more than Melissa Dinwiddie, and if you’ve ever struggled to create anything, she has a new book that could change your life the way her concepts have changed mine.

You can even download the first 50 pages for free to see if it resonates with you. AND if you buy her book before 11/21 you get all kinds of launch week bonuses, so don’t wait!

 

Why Reflections? – Photo and 100 Words 91

Nov 16, 2016 | 6 comments

Golden rain appears to stream down against a scaly forest colored background in this abstract photograph of what could be an alien world.

Fire Falls Rain Forest – it’s also available in a super tall version

Ever walk around your entire house looking for your car keys, only to realize you’re holding them? Me too, and that’s how I felt the first time I photographed a reflection and discovered it was only an illusion.

I mean, duh, reflections aren’t real, but I always assumed they existed on the surface of whatever shiny object made them.

While testing my gear before a pet session one day, I took a snapshot of a reflection bouncing off my phone. The resulting photo resembled a puddle; the reflection was sharp, but the phone, and the table below it, were totally blurred. Even more intriguing, in one corner of the image, several feet away, Gracie’s food bowl was in focus.

The reflection was of our backyard, streaming through sliding glass doors, and Gracie’s bowl was up against those doors. Since focus is determined by distance, it seems reflections are at the same distance as whatever they’re mimicing, but on the other side of the reflective surface.

Crazy, right? I’ve been obsessed ever since.

You don’t need a camera to see this, find a reflection in your screen and these words will blur. The keys were in my hand all along.

 

This is the silly snapshot that inspired the reflection series!

This is the silly snapshot that inspired the reflection series!

P.S. Do you have any title ideas for this photo? I’m not totally in love with the one I chose.

 

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