One of the things I know about myself is that when I am "on task" there is very little that will get me off course. However, one of the great things about retirement is that my time is my own, and if I do get distracted or "off task", it's no one's concern but my own. In fact, I am having so much fun the past year or two that sometimes I need to take a deep breath and thank the powers that be for this gift of time.
That said, my summer was NOT spent doing my Maxine project. I started it. I have some ideas. I've involved my sister to help contribute. BUT I did not make much progress. I added no new pictures to the Maxine portfolio. The ones I did take over the summer will not see the light of internet! I needed to be distracted... So I took a detour and had some fun.
For one distraction, I took and class at the Botanic Garden with a super instructor who really helped challenge me in a good way. The class was about "water" with an emphasis on abstract photography. I learned new techniques, gained new ideas, learned how to think differently about my art, and met some talented classmates. I added some new photos to my website under the "Water Abstracts" portfolio. Let me know what you think! ;-)
I was also able to submit two photos to the Botanic Garden student show and both got in. I'm excited and honored to have my photos hanging with such talented classmates!
Another distraction was a trip to Alaska and Vancouver. It was rainy in Alaska, but sometimes that made for better pictures. Vancouver was beautiful weather. I haven't had time to go through all my pictures, but you can see some on my twitter, instagram, facebook feeds. Here are a few more:
Another fun distraction was a workshop I took in Chicago. I put some of the photos in my "The City" portfolio. Take a look. I love the one of the policeman. He just had that big smile that said, "I love Chicago!"
And my favorite "distraction"... my children/grandchildren! I've added some photos to my "Small Loves" portfolios, but here are a few I took with a brand new macro lens:
So with a few more weeks of summer left before my new classes start, I plan to focus a bit on Maxine. But more importantly, I plan to savor the distractions along the way.
~ Jody