Category: Hand Made: Art and Craft

A Creative Encounter Lunch

Yesterday my dear friend, David White, invited me to a birthday lunch at City Market in Shorewood, WI. Always a delight to spend time with a poet, singer, and a specialist in gratitude and happiness. The food was okay and the conversation superb. When the coffee grinder became unpleasantly loud we moved to the outdoor patio. When the dog did not bark for its owner to return we focused our conversation on the marketing potential of social media, customer service, public relations, and how story telling may serve those community interests; as well as how audio files may enhance the presentation of poetry on line; and may be preferable to video files.

I also found my attention attracted to a young woman who arrived carrying a good deal of style in a pin stripe pants suit. When she decided to leave the patio I let her know that I appreciated her style and we then met Ananda Walker, a life coach, musician, audio specialist and poet. Within moments David and Ananda were sharing poems in front of my lens

like birds in a woods
singing here
in this moment
we experience raw sharing
of  Creative Spirits
in a Creative Encounter.
As good as life can be
connected to the Source
of Creativity
and one another
as if
I’ve known you
intimately
forever.

(click photograph for larger view)

Ananda Shared her Poem, A Lovely Soul

i am on the edge of my seat

waiting for what you will say

curious where these words will take us

excited by the rush

resting in the satisfaction of your attention

dancing in the energy of this engagement

playing with fire

playing with the feelings

have i told you how much i appreciate you?

how i cherish every moment that i spend with you?

you are so interesting

i could spend all eternity just finding out more about you

every new thing i learn makes me want to know more

no attachment to what will happen

i am simply grateful to be able to witness you

you are a sweet gift from the divine

a gift that i love unwrapping

– © ananda walker 04/11/13

and David shared his poem, Almost All the Greek

Yasu, Christo ..
Tikanis?
Kala.
Scata, Afaristo. SaGaPo
Spanakotiropita

Hi. Chris. How are you?
Fine. Shit. Thanks. I love you.
Spinach Pie.

That’s almost all the Greek I speak.

Occasionally I will mention that lovely appetizer buffet-on-a-platter Loukanikomeze and Roditys, a semi-dry red wine

I can say Baklava too but it’s very sweet. I save it for special occasions like this.

as well as his poem, Prince Frog

Some there are princes
and some there are frogs
yet to be a prince
is to sit on a log
is to know yr not far
from being a frog

@DoHappyBetter
© David L. White

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Ted Grant Assignment #3: “Vase & Flowers by Window Light!”

A clean and simple vase with flowers on table lit only by “window light and reflected light.”

results in by MIDNIGHT 14 SEPTEMBER 2013.

One submission only. Thank you. cheers, Dr. ted  🙂

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica R8/DMR, 100 mm Apo Macro Elmarit

Hog “heaven”

Milwaukee based Harley Davidson celebrated their 110th anniversary a couple weeks ago. One of the big dealers, Suburban Motors, is located in our little town of Thiensville, WI. The party ran for a week. Needless to say the the audio/visual noise quickly became a bit over-the-top for many — me among them. The often unmuffled pipes roared past our home from 7 am ’til 2 or 3 am every day; all week long.

The last Friday of the party I bicycled into town, intending to do some photography. Everyone seemed to wear the same basic “uniform” with only the slightest variations. The noise — unpleasant. The sea of bikes made it difficult to even begin to appreciate any potential visual nuances. The unique photographs I thought I’d find – seemed buried in a sea of chrome, denim and leather. After 20 minutes I peddled slowly and silently home — after making only 4 exposures. Very odd — for me.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Friday flowers. The muse. Fall.

We can photograph, draw, paint, sculpt or write a poem about any subject. In my experience subjects inspire poets and artists in various and often weird ways; a shaft of light; a metaphor popping into the mind; a turn of phrase; a rhyme; and many other incomprehensible signals may indicate that the muse has tapped us on the shoulder; or slapped our face.

Sometimes we give ourselves an assignment like photograph a flower for publication each and every week. While I always invite the muse; she may or may not show up on any given assignment.

Generally if I focus attention on a subject I can connect with and learn something beautiful from it. Technical difficulties may enter the picture: wind, less than ideal light, too little light, et al. Then, even if I think I “got something,” I may open the files and find — Nope. Nothing there. Just another picture of a flower. No feelings transmitted. Nothing particularly interesting to see. No gorgeous lines. No rhythm. No surprising texture, color, or light.

This week’s flowers seemed more elusive than usual. Every day for a week I walked past this blooming situation and “felt” drawn to its possibilities. Yet when I finally settled in to explore the subject it eluded me – they blew around – stuff seemed always in the way – either in the foreground or the background – I simply could not find “what I felt while looking without the camera” within the rectangle of the camera’s view finder. Or maybe I did. Though it took all these variations because the subject just kept talking and talking; whenever it wasn’t blowing away from my focus; or hiding in the dark of cloud cover.

Sometimes we need more
than a single verse
to express the feel
of summer/fall
the trance formation
the soft crisp in it all.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica R8/DMR, 60 mm Macro Elmarit