How I figure things out
Get an idea.
1. Read, hear or experience something inspiring.
2. Obsess about it.
Research the hell out of it
3. Find several books at the library, in the bookstore
4. Look online.
5. Watch videos.
6. Take a field trip.
Document your findings
7. Take notes.
8. Take photographs or screenshots.
9. Sketch.
Apply what you’ve learned
10. Make something
11. Show someone. Let them know what you’ve learned.
Something else catches your eye.
12. See step 1
untitled
Your eyes will soon be opened to a world of beauty, charm and adventure
Here’s an overview about my thought processes and cycles. Steps ten and eleven is the hard part because…number twelve. Repeat the cycle again and again.
Get an idea
1. See, hear, smell, taste, touch something interesting
2. Obsess about it
Do your research
3. Scour books at home, in the library and the bookstore.
4. Look online
5. Watch videos
6. Take a field trip for research
Record what you find
7. Take notes
8. Take photographs
9. Draw it out
Apply what you learned
10. Make something
11. Show someone. Let them know all that you’ve learned
Something else catches your eye.
12. Go back to step 1
Your eyes will soon be opened to a world of beauty, charm and adventure
Time to get serious and disciplined regarding digital asset
management (DAM). As I type, I am transferring files off of the various
external hard drives to a master file on my computer. Then I will use
Lightroom to remove the duplicates, sort the wheat from the chaff, sort
by year/month, geotag, keyword and then maintain this archive. After
this I will upload to my photo hosts. On backup drives, Flickr and
Smugmug.
With my new camera, I am considering this all to be a clean slate. Way overdue.
My very first digital photograph back in November 2001.
When
I was away at college I borrowed my father’s Olympus C2100. I loved the
zoom and bokeh it produced. This had helped solidify my photography
enthusiasm.
I discovered this when sorting through the archives
and organizing the digital assets (DAM). Yeah, it’s simple, but we all
start somewhere.
Time to evaluate my progress for my Groundhog Resolutions, the 10th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that right after the end of the year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan and start on 2/2 instead of 1/1.
I’ll check back in on myself on 9/9
Get another tattoo: Coming soon
More camping: It’s hot y’all. And the last attempt was off asphalt and sand dunes. Fall cant get here fat enough.
Fitness-
Kickboxing: Tae Bo for the win
Yoga: Daily practice early in the morning really helps here
More 5 & 10k obstacle course racing: See above. It’s hot.
Consistent training: Dropping Planet Fitness in favor of a new gym here called Vasa. More amenities to keep my body interested in going to begin with.
Consistent nutritional training: Work
in progress. I’ve dropped soda pop and going with water, soda water and/or beer. Less eating out too. Small victories.
Hashing:
Waiting on cooler. Got called out by Tulsa Hash House Harriers Mismanagement for it too. Will be paying for it when I’m back on trail.
Hiking: Taken
more than a few hikes this year and explored familiar and new trails.
Geocaching: Discovered a couple of quick park and grabs in some interesting places.
Meditation: More and more necessary. My brain is so scattered with everything I want to do. This helps center me.
Complete my book: I discovered some very interesting facts about the Khmer empire recently that will be crucial to my understanding and telling. Also coming up with more random ideas for stories. probably short stories all of them but eh. We’ll see.
Photo essay on a topic I am passionate about: Currently shooting the Tulsa, After Dark series. Humans of Tulsa (HOT) is on hold. Haven’t been going out as much. Need to change this soon to keep the project going.
Video log every month: Fail. Lack of interesting dialogue, forgetfulness.
Leave inspirational notes everywhere: Doing this at home in sneaky places for people to find is fun. Need to go public.
Year in photos album: 2017 is just there, waiting on me. Cannot wait to see what 2018 memories I’ll have at the EOY.
Shoot more film: Buy more film. Ain’t cheap!
Find my muse: Found her. Now how to use her?
DAM: Failing. This MUST change. A new camera can help me here with different file formats. I will discipline myself with this fresh start. But the previous decades of work? Overwhelming.
I grew up watching great action movies like Star Wars, Die Hard and Indiana Jones. Adventure stories have stood the test of time, why is that? Because they are us.
We identify with these stories because life is adventurous.
Or misadventurous (I just made a new word).
Fight a good fight. Overcome adversity. Get the girl. The difficult part is that these adventures are ongoing. Good and evil, work and play, love and loss. All of these make great adventures and stories because they are us. It is who we are.
Time to evaluate my progress for my Groundhog Resolutions, the 10th
annual attempt at creating life-long habits for myself. I’ve discovered
that right after the end of the year holidays I am not mentally or
physically capable of sticking with resolutions for the upcoming new
year. I need a break so I take the whole month of January off to reflect
and plan and start on 2/2 instead of 1/1.
I’ll check back in on myself on 9/9
Get another tattoo: Coming soon
More camping: It’s hot y’all. And the last attempt was off asphalt and sand dunes. Fall cant get here fat enough.
50 Books a year challenge:
Up to 25. Halfway! Time to hit those books because…winter is coming.
Fitness-
Kickboxing: Tae Bo for the win
Yoga: Daily practice early in the morning really helps here
More 5 & 10k obstacle course racing: See above. It’s hot.
Consistent training: Dropping
Planet Fitness in favor of a new gym here called Vasa. More amenities
to keep my body interested in going to begin with.
Consistent nutritional training: Work
in progress. I’ve dropped soda pop and going with water, soda water and/or beer. Less eating out too. Small victories.
Hashing:
Waiting on cooler. Got called out by Tulsa Hash House Harriers
Mismanagement for it too. Will be paying for it when I’m back on trail.
Hiking: Taken
more than a few hikes this year and explored familiar and new trails.
Geocaching: Discovered a couple of quick park and grabs in some interesting places.
Meditation: More and more necessary. My brain is so scattered with everything I want to do. This helps center me.
Complete my book: I
discovered some very interesting facts about the Khmer empire recently
that will be crucial to my understanding and telling. Also coming up
with more random ideas for stories. probably short stories all of them
but eh. We’ll see.
Photo essay on a topic I am passionate about: Currently
shooting the Tulsa, After Dark series. Humans of Tulsa (HOT) is on
hold. Haven’t been going out as much. Need to change this soon to keep
the project going.
Video log every month: Fail. Lack of interesting dialogue, forgetfulness.
Leave inspirational notes everywhere: Doing this at home in sneaky places for people to find is fun. Need to go public.
Year in photos album: 2017 is just there, waiting on me. Cannot wait to see what 2018 memories I’ll have at the EOY.
Shoot more film: Buy more film. Ain’t cheap!
Find my muse: Found her. Now how to use her?
DAM: Failing.
This MUST change. A new camera can help me here with different file
formats. I will discipline myself with this fresh start. But the
previous decades of work? Overwhelming.
