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I started an arty blog newsletter a few weeks back. I’m really enjoying it and I think it’s going well. It’s helping me have a relationship with my own art.
Next one is out tonight hopefully. Email readers get a few behind-the-scenes bonuses. It’s all just for fun and completely free.
Recent arty web projects
- new website ‘studio’, mainly for personal use
- new weekly newsletter of my art with adjacent web page for readers
Next
- a photoblog of my ‘best’ photos, to complement the newsletter
- home page for my art
- maybe a portfolio gallery in the future
Summer has arrived!
The iPhone takes great photos but I needed to underexpose this raw image by 1.7 stops to get the look I wanted. Minimal tweaks in the edit. 📷
I’m a little sad I missed the Northern Lights, although I’m not sure I would have seen them here, or not. People are posting some amazing photos on Micro.blog today.
I still have not seen them in my life. With one vague exception in Scotland that I’m not sure about.
I had a super busy day today. It’s been epic.
I’ve been very creative. I’m in a clarity and inspiration phase. But being careful not to overspend spoons.
A lot of making of art, but also building workflows and infrastructure backend for publishing. Very happy with how it’s going.
I have pushed myself too hard again with chores and things today. I can’t believe it’s nearly 5pm already! I haven’t really been looking after myself, I’m hungry, sleep deprived, and I haven’t been outside yet *stamps feet*
also: 11pm
I was testing with a hosted Micro.blog website at social.micro.blog.
But I’ve deleted it now in case anyone else wants it.
“social” is a bad fit for me, lol
Would anyone like to sign up for my new arty newsletter? (Photography, doodles, etc). I’m hoping it will help me out with getting back on my feet, creatively.
It’s on PencilBooth and I’ll be sending out the first one this evening..
Holy moly what a track!
I’m sitting in my local Costa, writing for my new art project and this song1 is moving me so much2. It reminds me of younger days and the sheer joy of music I had at that time, and still have. 🎵
It’s been a pretty good day. I took my big camera for a walk. I was out for a couple of hours in the heat. (It suddenly got up to around 20C where I live in the last day or so.)
It felt good to go for a dedicated photo walk. To commit a chunk of my day to deliberate creating was a good move. I felt like I was getting into the zone a little bit again.
I nearly always have my darling Ricoh GRii with me everywhere I go but this time I swapped it out for the Nikon Z5. It’s a camera I’m still a little intimidated by. I’m technically proficient with cameras but I get lost in the differences between brands and models. Overwhelmed by the different systems, menus, and terminology they use.
And of course they have their strengths and idiosyncrasies. This is what I’m still learning with the Z5. It’s taking a long time to get to know it. I feel like I never really ever get there with any camera I’ve owned.
Anyway. I really enjoyed my walk and I got a few shots I like.
I would really love to get them out and published soon but will have to see.
I got super tired, not being used to the warm weather and being in the sun for so long. And I kinda zonked out after and have been feeling a bit lost and wiped out since then.
Photography feeds my soul, but I’m so sensitive I have to pace myself.
I have to admit I don’t like having to provide pronouns (or gender) in some situations. But they are definitely important to me.
I usually don’t provide them when they’re optional. Like, in impersonal situations such as signing up for a service, or a website or something.
Socially, it’s important to me that people use the right pronouns. But often, the conversation that arises after providing them can be uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s actually a loaded question.
Because. It doesn’t matter why I have particular pronouns. They’re just the ones I use.
I find it cool that it’s becoming a lot more common for people seem to be generally using They/Them for people they don’t know. Even though it still seems strange to hear.
In some ways I find this is more respectful because it seems to say “I am respecting that you might not want to be asked about pronouns”. On the other hand, I’ve met trans people who are offended by gender neutral pronouns.
I wouldn’t want to be referred to with they/them after having shared my own. But people seem to do this too.
I wonder if we are heading towards gender neutral pronouns becoming normal, usual, and polite. To politely refrain from assumptions, until personal preferences are shared.
Pronouns are weird. But important. I’m becoming more comfortable with people asking. And even sharing them sometimes when I don’t need to.
Mine are she/her.
I’ve been having a successfully productive day today and I’m about to launch my new project. It’s been years in the making!
I’m excited to have given myself a fresh way of sharing my art. Feels really good.
If you’d like to receive the first email, pop me a message. Email link below this post
The Photos page plug-in for Micro.blog was just updated by @kottkrig at my request.
The update means I can now also adjust the number of columns of photos on my /photos page. The plug-in already allows for filtering by category, and the ability to show all photos in a post.
Thanks again!
Making a new intention:
I intend to spend less time consuming, and more time creating. For this is what gives me energy and feeds my soul.
It’s been a really rough week/ten days for my mental health. But I feel like I’m coming out of it a bit tonight. Fingers crossed I can keep getting back to myself again. Baby steps.
I’ve been using SiftRSS for the last few days. It’s so useful! I was subscribed to a particular YouTube channel that publishes a lot of Shorts. I’ve now unsubscribed and instead use SiftRSS to filter out those posts that contain #shorts in the title.
Soundscape by the pond: Wind in the trees; birdsong; ducks; air traffic; a train. Bliss! Here:
https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/132229/2024/20240430-1058-soundscape-abney.mp4
📷