Creative Space 2.0

This weekend marked the first time in recent memory that I had an abundance of free time. I had no work, no photo shoots planned, and no real pressing chores or errands to get done. With the exception of plans to go watch the Oscars on Sunday night, I had two days to just lay on the couch. Sadly, I never got around to that.

On Friday after work I was going through my Around the Hat postcards to organize them, and it struck me how my apartment had become consumed by side projects. A photo book to scan for my folks was all over my desk, some video tapes were stacked across the kitchen counter, and my prints and postcards filled the dining and coffee table. There wasn't a free surface to actually work anywhere anymore. I suppose that's what kicked off the idea, because right then I decided it was time to upgrade my work space.

Come Saturday I was out the door and decided to take a road trip to the IKEA in Calgary. Not only did I already know what I wanted from there, but it was an easy excuse to do some joyriding in my new 300. It was actually a lot of fun, and the idea of building a more efficient work space was a good motivator. I ended up buying a new shelf, desk extension, table top, mountable work lamp, and a couple of large wall frames.  

This is what my desk / edit suite started out as, and below are the pictures of the outcome after all of the building, deconstructing, purging, and reorganizing. It turned out not to be a very relaxed weekend until Sunday night, but I'm loving all of the extra desk space to lay projects out now. I think it looks pretty good too.

BEFORE. My desk before the new shelf and extension.

AFTER. My updated work space.

Light the Christmas Tree

Another year has rushed by again, and here I am preparing for Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I love this season, but it does add more projects to an already lengthy to-do list. My decorations went up the first weekend of November, as they always do thanks to a ritual started in university.  Check out my dorm tree for more on that.  

The lighting is probably my favorite part of Christmas in general.  Everything has a nice glow, it's colourful, and it feels a bit warmer even though the temperatures are dipping. It also makes my place look awesome.  This year I moved my tree to a more central location in the apartment, but other than that my kick off to Christmas has been pretty relaxed. There's lots to get done before the year is out, but it's nice to be able to savor the scenery.  For as much as I've spent on movie themed ornaments and decorations, it would be a shame to not enjoy them for as long as possible.  And so it begins.  

New Stacks of Vintage Vinyl

After my Grandma passed this summer, we each received care packages that had a bunch of different mementos.  When asked, I was all too happy to have her old record player and inherit her collection of campy German records.  My vinyl collection up to this point was almost exclusively awful records from thrift stores and garage sales that I simply wanted for their cover art.

My aunt Bev, noticing my interest, offered me her old record player and collection too. The thing was, her collection was actually amazing.  While in Calgary on my way back from Vegas, I stopped to load up the Jag with my care package of Grandma's things as well as two crates of records from my aunt.  That night back at home, I set up my Grandma's old record player and started digging through the crates.  I really didn't have high expectations for what I'd find, but only a few minutes in I was already hooked. 

I pulled out original presses of Rolling Stones albums like Sticky Fingers and Let it Bleed. There was Billy Idol, the Police, George Harrison, Pink Floyd, Gensis, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, the Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and even the original release of Michael Jackson's Thriller. I have so many of these albums and artists on my iPod, and grew up listening to a lot of these through my parents.  Seeing all of this tangible music was really cool.  On top of it all, I was discovering liner notes and artwork that I'd never seen before.


Listening to records is an experience steeped in a nostalgia that I never really got to experience.  The crackling audio is actually enhanced by the time you take looking at the artwork, reading the notes, and scanning the covers.  It's not the same as a CD, as these giant cardboard panels command more attention and their presentation is more elaborate; multi-folding covers, decorated sleeves, etc.  

In addition to this, you actually interact with the record by moving the needle to select the songs you want to hear.  After years of nothing but iTunes and CDs, the action of changing sides after 4 or 5 songs and then putting everything back in its sleeve requires you to be a bit more engaged. It's kind of endearing and makes listening to music an activity, instead of a supplement to something else.  There's also the appreciation you get from knowing that this is what this music sounded like when it first came out.  No digital remastering or alteration, this is how it was.  The quality isn't great, the technology is cumbersome, and there's not really a practical reason to listen to records anymore.  Maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.  I love the history of places and things that have fallen from significance - there's a romance to it all.  I look forward to my continued vinyl discoveries in the coming weeks, and hope to share more soon. 

A Thankful Turkey Day

With another Thanksgiving upon us, I'm keen to take stock of all of the things that have made my life special and enjoyable this last year - with a little turkey dinner on the side to round out the occasion obviously.  The truth is that I feel like I've got it pretty good, even on those random bad days that occasionally spring up.  

I have a lot to be thankful for.  I love my friends and family and I'm thankful that they continue to make life interesting, challenging, and eventful.  I'm thankful for the unexpected opportunities that have sprung up this year, and I'm even thankful that I've been forced to reevaluate some of my career prospects as it's forced me to try new things.  I've loved the various adventures and travels I've been able to have this year, and I'm thankful that I made a very deliberate effort to make the most of them when they were happening.  What I've come to realize is that the situation I'm currently in is something that I've wanted for a long time.  I feel like I've made peace with a lot in the last few years, and I'm thankful that I'm in a position where looking on the bright side has become easier.  I'm thankful that I'm able to speak my mind freely, genuinely, and even receive support for doing so from time to time.

To echo what I wrote last year, I'm genuinely thankful that despite knowing my worst mistakes and weaknesses, I'm still happy being me.  It's amazing how far that actually gets you.  So, Happy Thanksgiving to you readers, and I hope you find it just as easy to appreciate and acknowledge all of the reasons that you're thankful too.  

Home For Thanksgiving

These are actually shots I took of my parents place in October 2005 when I came home from film school for Thanksgiving.  What I like most about them is that despite this house not changing all that much over the years, it's rare that we ever think to take pictures of places that are familiar to us like this.  The yard, the stacked wood and deck chairs, the swinging bench on the veranda, the basketball hoop over the garage, the lighthouse bird feeder that my dad built, etc. all paint a picture of home for me.

As this place continues to change without me noticing, I'm sure I'll come to appreciate shots like this even more.  Of course, shots of the family are just as important, but there's something equally special about locations.  This will always be home.  

Week Long Staycation

Despite the week off from work there wasn't really an abundance of down time like I had convinced myself there would be.  The problem with taking a staycation is that you realize there are a ton of things that you've been putting off and should probably get done. Sleeping in (although amazing) only emphasizes this by making the days shorter and turning most mornings into a complete write-off.

I did manage to clean up my kitchen cabinets, DVD collection, and wardrobe to free up some space. Not very pressing activities, but things that I had on a to-do list since the beginning of the year.  I spent an afternoon giving my store room and car a thorough cleaning as well, however both of these activities seemed to spur more side projects.  In between this I got in some editing, a couple of small trips to Drumheller and Red Rock Coulee with my friend Andrea, went out for a few dinners, and spent an evening on skype catching up with Tyler.     

I can't complain about a week off, but I suppose in actuality I want a pause button more than time away.  In my mind I had pictured myself doing a lot of nothing.  Literally nothing.  It's tough to justify laziness when you take a week to hangout in the same place where all of your projects are though.  It's not really a holiday then, the wasted time just becomes a more formal kind of procrastination. It's almost like not needing to work for a living would somehow be better (read with extreme sarcasm).