At the beginning of January, I set a few challenges for myself. I want to read, write, take photos, and complete a few larger projects. I have felt ambitious, which is not something I’ve been able to say in a long time.
I have read one and a half books so far this year. First to be completed was The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. The title is unfortunate*, as the latter person in the story was afflicted with a common, yet debilitating, mental illness, and had he been born in today’s world, it is likely that he would not have suffered as he did. Treatment of the mind has come a long way in the intervening years since that man lived. To categorize him as a “madman” is unfair and ableist to say the least. The story itself was a bit over-wrought, over-verbose, and more than 1/3 too long, but it was an interesting narrative anyway. To whit: it was about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, in which both men, the professor and…his associate contributed greatly. There is a film of the same name based on the book that I have on my short list to watch, if nothing else to see how the filmmakers handled the text and the men’s lives.
*(I just discovered that the book’s non-American title is The Surgeon of Crowthorne which is much better, in my estimation, as it doesn’t stigmatize the man to which it refers. He was a brilliant doctor, and remained so despite his mental illness.)
The other book, that I half read, was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. I had been hearing about this book for a long time from my muse, Adam Savage, as it is a favorite of his, so I picked it up. It was not my cup of tea. Mostly a book of philosophy and understanding of the world, the framing story was hard for me to get into, and the way it was written was off putting to my particular vibe. I found the philosophy interesting enough, and even thought most of it to be a helpful way of viewing the world, but the rest of the book didn’t suit. I gave myself full credit for the attempt, and have moved on to a wonderful history called River of Shadows by Rebecca Solnit, ostensibly about the creation of motion photography. So far, it is so good.
I have been following my 52 Week Challenge for photography, and just completed week 6! It hasn’t been easy to take one photo every week. Not so much because the photography itself is difficult, but finding the time and motivation to do it regularly. I am used to taking a photo when the mood strikes, and to perform like clockwork is the challenge. But I have liked most of the results and am excited to continue. At this point it is incredible to me that, if completed, I will have 52 photos to show for it.
Along with my photography is an ongoing project that I have surprisingly found myself continuing to work on. That project is the creation of scenery pieces, or dioramas, for my photography. These days I am quite taken with action figure photography, preferring the six inch scale variety of Star Wars figures from the Black Series and Archive lines from Hasbro. To make those photos more interesting, I created some sets. Crafted from spare styrofoam packing taken out of various boxes, acrylic paint, superglue, and various bits from random plastic model kits plus a few 3D printed parts from the internet, I have managed to create useful and visually interesting background elements. The work continues little by little, but I am happy with the direction it is going and ecstatic to be so often finding the motivation to do said work.
I wrote three blog posts in January, and this is my first in February, so that is proceeding apace. I completed no fewer than three other projects of a personal nature that I have been putting off for some time, or that newly came to me with the turning of the calendar. One was for my sister, and I can’t wait to see her reaction to the result. In fact, I am doing so much, and checking things off my list, that I am already wondering if I should not brainstorm more challenges for myself so that I don’t run out and stall. The 52 week photography will obviously go all year, as will the writing and reading, but as I’ve already knocked out several of the larger, single-go projects, I don’t want to find myself nonplussed and searching for something to do come summer. So, To Be Decided, I guess.
Overall, I’m chuffed to bits to be where I am mid-way through February. It is more than a solid start, and I hope the trends continue. What are you working on, or challenging yourself with this 2022, and how is that going? Drop me a note and let me know! (You can find my contact information elsewhere on this blog.) For now, I think I may read and discover more about how video was invented.
a simple man 