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Sunday, February 19, 2017

Doing rather than Documenting













I'm continuing to have a love/hate relationship with the online world.   But I think the reason for another lengthy time between posts in this space is deeper than that.  Lately I'm just more interested in doing than I am in documenting.  I have a number of finished knits that I haven't felt the urge to photograph...  This skein of handspun shown above has been completed and waiting for a photo for weeks and I just really didn't feel the need to photograph it.  I don't know if this is a phase that will last, but for now, it's where I am at.

I've been taking Saturday off the past few weeks.  Taking it off sans guilt which is the important part.  I work hard...and most years work 355-360 days of the year (I take off some for Xmas and Thanksgiving day).  This year, I'm determined to get that  number down to 350 or so! ;)  Anyway...on these Saturdays of late, I get up, make tea and start the day with some spinning and knitting.  And then I've been working on art.  I've finished one papercut (no pictures because it is a gift) and got a good start on another.  I'm taking a colored pencil Craftsy class and completely enjoying myself.  One of those photos above is the result of some sketching I'm doing for the class.  I'm only halfway through but already have learned so much about technique.  I have a few more classes lined up for colored pencil after I get through this one...  And I'm just super excited to be sketching again...  What is even more important is that I've regained some confidence that has been lacking for years. 

In other news, I asked for and received a wide angle lens for Xmas.  I've never been interested in purchasing one of those.  Assumed that my next lens purchase would be a better zoom.  But my foray into night photography last summer really had me considering what a wide angle lens would give me.  I did some research and found a high quality lens within our budget.  I haven't played with it much yet, but what I have done with it has me smitten with the lens.  The top photo of the line of trees...I was standing about 30 feet from them and they are 70-80 feet tall.  It's pretty incredible.  There is distortion at times and I'm learning when that happens and how to avoid it.  But I also think it adds an artistic element too...depending on the composition.

On a completely different topic...but one that relates to my word for 2017...I've been going back to the gym fairly regularly and am rebuilding the strength that I lost with my fractured arm this summer.  The elbow is still swollen some but for the most part, I am free of pain.  So I've been slowly increasing and intensifying my strength training again.  Today I easily broke 100 pounds on my deadlift and I'm one step away from breaking 100 on my squat.  The numbers are just numbers really but I can feel the strength returning and that means the trust in my body is returning.  Which feels great.  I'm still a long ways off from my peak in lifting last winter, but I'm getting there slowly but surely.  

What about you?  How have you been the last month?
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Now playing:  Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Ritual  (a very dark and broody version of this song that I am loving)  



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9 comments:

  1. Denise February 20, 2017 at 10:27 AM

    I've messed up writing this comment on my phone 3 times! Last try... Fingers crossed. --Doing must certainly be more important than documenting. Document when the mood strikes. Great to know you're feeling your strength returning! And thank you for the wide open space photos. Beautiful! I've been writing, reading, knitting, drinking tea, baking banana bread, cleaning, talking with my husband about how to best live in this world (ongoing discussion for about 17 years now...) and walking in the rain. Good stuff. Too much internet this morning... It's time to get back to pen and paper.

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    1. RachelFebruary 28, 2017 at 9:19 AM

      Funny -- a friend and I were talking recently about the shifts happening online. We came to the conclusion that a lot of it is occurring because of the shift from computers to phones. Which is interesting...

      Thanks as always for your support! Interestingly after I wrote this post, I started to think about photographing stuff again. Moody I guess. Your list of 'doings' sound amazing. Glad to hear you are enjoying life!

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  2. karenFebruary 22, 2017 at 4:54 AM

    I love that you have a love/hate relationship - I try my best to not be on the internet a few times a week so I can DO things. The checking is so much easier on a phone and then it's a slippery slope. I chuckle that I set boundaries and yet I love that I do because that makes me accountable. Yay for you having a new lens to play with. I bought a 50 mm fixed for xmas and have loved what photos I can get!!

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    1. RachelFebruary 28, 2017 at 9:22 AM

      Thanks Karen! I think that having those boundaries is a positive thing. I'm doing something similar -- but mainly trying to not look at the news until night so I don't get wound up and distracted! ;) I've thought of getting a 50 mm fixed lens as well (fixed lenses are amazing)... I bet you are loving that purchase!

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  3. kristieinbcFebruary 22, 2017 at 6:27 AM

    Doing should definitely come first, but I have to confess I'm glad you've done a bit of documenting too. Your pictures are always such a treat! The picture of your sketches makes me wish I could draw something besides stick people and box houses. I even checked out the Craftsy art classes after reading your post, but alas, they don't have any that seem to be geared to drawing challenged people like myself. :-)

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    1. RachelFebruary 28, 2017 at 9:26 AM

      Thanks Kristie! I would look a little harder on Craftsy if you are really interested. They actually do have a ton of beginner drawing classes although it depends on what you want to draw (like landscapes versus portraits etc.). The colored pencil class I'm taking is actually a beginner class but it's not geared toward drawing at all...but the theory of color and how to use the pencils. The other thing to note about Craftsy is wait for a sale!! They have them all the time. I have never paid full price for a class. And finally -- check out John Muir Laws the natural journalist artist...he has a ton of free videos that are geared toward the beginner. My friend has been doing them to help her with sketching in her nature journal and really enjoys them.

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  4. kateFebruary 22, 2017 at 8:35 PM

    This post made me so happy. Love that you are crafting in a variety of ways, and that you are finding your way back to harmony with your body. Keep on, my friend. Connecting is so valuable, especially for us introverts who seek nourishment in ways other than socializing.

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    1. RachelFebruary 28, 2017 at 9:30 AM

      Thanks Kate! I am also very happy that I am crafting again and that I'm challenging myself to improve. And while I had a set-back due to getting sick again (this winter has been miserable for John and I...we keep getting hit), I have been thinking so much about...well finding my way back to harmony with my body. There really is no better way to say it... Knowing that part of why we keep getting sick is because we let ourselves get so run down and don't take care of ourselves. It's a wake-up call if we just pay attention.

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    2. kateFebruary 28, 2017 at 8:07 PM

      This has been a very bad winter for colds and flu though - I have had two terrible colds, compared to many years when I don't get sick at all! So don't be too hard on yourselves, sometimes we just get sick :(

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