tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28101298825290270252024-03-12T18:25:06.838-07:00Scott Carter CooperArchetype Images -- the focus is on youMission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-4184895438617876252011-12-31T19:42:00.000-08:002011-12-31T19:42:07.309-08:00The End of a Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4MkZdTkB9c/Tv_SY9FgPPI/AAAAAAAAAZo/smHPf7BSp7M/s1600/Girls+Crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4MkZdTkB9c/Tv_SY9FgPPI/AAAAAAAAAZo/smHPf7BSp7M/s320/Girls+Crazy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Thank God 2011 is coming to a close. I'm chalking it up to a lost year. Something tells me that the years are just going to start moving faster.<br />
<br />
Photography suffered in favor of writing and job searching. I landed a job with some people I think are amazing, and I got some major interest in <i>The Void Dance</i>, so all productive. But I did manage some shots. I'm finding that I'm attracted to the less planned shots these days. I'm liking the surprises, the less traditionally perfect. I like trying to find the beauty in the imperfections.<br />
<br />
I don't really believe too much in New Year's Resolutions, but I'm thinking that I'm ready for a big year. I've kind of earned it. I'm just going to keep following my creative impulses and moving forward. Can any of us do any better?Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-68064927658068102972011-08-20T18:52:00.000-07:002011-08-20T18:52:08.698-07:00Doing More With LessA number of years ago I worked for a consulting firm. In a lot of ways it was a great gig, but the thing that drove me absolutely ape-shit nuts was that it seemed to be driven by buzzwords and cliches. At the time I could not go into a meeting without someone tossing out the phrase "value added" at least once. It made me insane.<br />
<br />
To me, if you're in a relationship of any kind, but especially one in which money is changing hands, it should be a given that the person receiving the cash would instinctively, reflexively want to add value to the transaction. Even the guy at the register taking your five spot for that whipped cafe blah-blah-blah is responsible for adding value to the transaction by being courteous, efficient, and not fucking up the order. And the more dollars that are going into that person's hands, the greater his responsibility to find ways of adding value to the transaction. So, to be sitting in a room full of people who earned salaries far greater than the coffee guy on the corner all having revelatory orgasms over the value added concept was more than I could stand. I made a year and a few weeks, but then I was done.<br />
<br />
I'm reading a book for my new job, "Delivering Happiness." It's the story of Zappos, the Internet sensation that built a business from nothing to a billion dollar empire in the matter of a few short years. It's an easy read, and I'm enjoying it.<br />
<br />
I just finished the section on Zappos's core values. For the uninitiated, "core values" is a term usually tossed between a company's marketing and HR departments that indicates someone thought of a list of ethical priorities and wrote them down. "This is what we stand for!" The list is printed on the web site, some recruiting materials, and flashed in front of some potential investors, and promptly forgotten the minute someone changes the subject to sales, the bottom line, or lunch.<br />
<br />
Zappos, however is unique in that it apparently practices what it preaches, and aligns its business practices, including hiring, with its core values. In providing examples of this, an employee wrote a story of how she did more with less. She had begun working with Zappos as a temporary employee shortly before the holiday season. It was her first Christmas away from home and family, and she had no money. Her Christmas feast consisted of two yams that she somehow managed to bake and flavor with freeze-dried marshmallows she picked out of a package of instant cocoa mix. She describes the instance has one of her happiest memories.<br />
<br />
Over the years I've worked in various companies and theatre groups who have talked about doing more with less. For me it always translated in working harder for the same results you would achieve with greater resources. Today, however, I finally got the meaning of that phrase. It's not about stretching every dollar beyond it's elasticity. Doing more with less means infusing the resources you have with greater significance. It means taking care with your resources, not necessarily being miserly, but being respectful and creative with those resources. It means that the resources you have don't necessarily have to stretch further or last longer. It means that they have to mean more. The utilization of those resources have to be more deliberate, and that we must have a greater appreciation an respect for the results achieved.<br />
<br />
Doing more with less is something I think everyone should consider.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-68991844389042489762011-08-13T07:58:00.000-07:002011-08-13T07:58:55.293-07:00Simplicity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCGiWm4YSSmtV1aPnmVz4gz81855DWp4FpETpbga9cxJkPE5UZQENM0NAr31K_VXOvbzPvWm_nv4fyVJxF5-XfCFAfqnpMptZOHgaiP_-dOMQX9sk7NyZ_fbjP2SgfyNZmqD8JEmoXBGi/s1600/Laura+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCGiWm4YSSmtV1aPnmVz4gz81855DWp4FpETpbga9cxJkPE5UZQENM0NAr31K_VXOvbzPvWm_nv4fyVJxF5-XfCFAfqnpMptZOHgaiP_-dOMQX9sk7NyZ_fbjP2SgfyNZmqD8JEmoXBGi/s320/Laura+1a.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I admit that I have a problem. I'm not satisfied unless things are complicated. And starting with my photography, the fussier the better for me. It took me a couple of years to realize that more isn't necessarily better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last week I did several shoots, and started with a classic beauty shoot. Laura, the model needed an editorial make-up shoot for her portfolio and I was happy to help her out. The make-up was all about vivid colors, but we needed a pop. I have miles of swatches, so we wrapped her in these an shot against a black background and white background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a fair amount of post in this shot, but I'm very happy with it because unless I told you, you would never know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This could easily turn out to be one of my favorite shots of the summer.</div><br />
Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-40748955252192716282011-07-26T18:00:00.000-07:002011-07-26T18:00:51.982-07:00$50 Headshot SpecialAugust 8 - 12<br />
Special Headshot sessions. Natural light set up, black background, and white background.<br />
Package includes one finished high-resolution file, ready for printing. Additional files available for $25 each.<br />
Limited availability, and calendar filling.<br />
BOOK NOW!Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-76413518941697320622011-07-16T16:51:00.000-07:002011-07-16T16:51:57.503-07:00Where It All Began<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkCgb9Fjk2Sa_Refx1FZLvkiRVQQzQ1VOAvLixe5WhFyuezAE-PFqXosB2e5OKLf7vLCvBAmqlxG9_640RfA82TzpVGOmONrfFdQD7-dUw869pMmxqVm5IYnaIJhtEUGvgTHhaOLW-sda/s1600/Ty+1+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkCgb9Fjk2Sa_Refx1FZLvkiRVQQzQ1VOAvLixe5WhFyuezAE-PFqXosB2e5OKLf7vLCvBAmqlxG9_640RfA82TzpVGOmONrfFdQD7-dUw869pMmxqVm5IYnaIJhtEUGvgTHhaOLW-sda/s320/Ty+1+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Let we forget how all this madness started, I thought it appropriate to post my latest headshot, just to demonstrate, 1) I'm still plugging along at the photography, 2) I might actually be getting kind of good at this, if I do say so myself.<br />
<br />
It's been five years ago now that I was sitting in a cafe and trying to imagine what the next step on my life might be. At that time I was working on my masters degree in writing and working in a sports marketing firm that was struggling. No one at the firm was happy, and it was clear that the clock was ticking. As luck would have it, the firm lasted for another long, painful year. More than once I got angry at myself because I had taken a job for the money, and one that did not allow me to pursue my passions. So, knowing that at some point the end would come, I sat down with a list of dream jobs, one of which was photographer. I also had playwright, neurosurgeon, and astronaut on the list. Playwright was a given, but I just felt like I couldn't let life pass me by without also taking a stab at photography.<br />
<br />
When the end of the marketing firm finally did come, I was fortunate enough to receive a nice little severance package. So I went to the Barnes and Noble in Evanston, sat down in their photography section and picked out the most comprehensive book on photography I could find. Pennies were precious, and the book I found cost fifty dollars, but I decided that it was a crucial investment. I told myself that if, when I had finished the book, I was still interested in photography, I would then allow myself to purchase a decent (but affordable!) digital camera. Before I'd finished the end of the book, I knew this was not a waste of my time and within a week I had purchased my first Olympus.<br />
<br />
Teaching myself about photography and lighting kept me sane while I was unemployed. While I actually enjoy looking for a job (I know, I'm strange), the steady stream of rejection can really take its toll. Seeing the incremental improvement in my work, was all the validation I needed to tell me that even though there were people who couldn't see what a fantastic employee I might be, I could see that I was smart and talented. (You have to tell yourself these things to keep from taking a sniper rifle to the top of the nearest tower.)<br />
<br />
At any rate, I'm quite proud of these achievements. It's all self taught, which makes it all the sweeter.<br />
<br />
And an attractive model doesn't hurt.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-18946444399141585292011-07-12T12:35:00.000-07:002011-07-12T12:49:21.759-07:00BusyLooking for a full-time job is a full-time job. And there are some good ones out there. There are also some frightening ones. To date, by far, my favorite is the job interview I had two weeks ago.<br />
<br />
I was called by an up-and-coming company that is expanding and needs an assistant for the CEO. I spent about fifteen minutes on the phone with their HR person and agreed to come in for an interview. When I arrived, I was asked to wait in the reception area, which is located right outside their main conference room. Their conference room has the thinnest walls known to man, so for twenty minutes I sat and listened to another interview. They were interviewing another candidate for the job I was to be interviewed for. In the conversation I actually heard things like, "All of our employees are about thirty years old, and we're looking for someone who will fit in with that group," and "Sometimes I need to wear a tie and sometimes I don't."<br />
<br />
It was clear that this was a job that was probably a little beneath my skill level, but since I was there there was no reason not to go through with the interview. That is until I heard them offer the candidate the job. Since she didn't immediately accept, but asked to have a couple days to think about it, I'm assuming the HR person decided that she should go through with my interview.<br />
<br />
My interview lasted about ten minutes. Ten of the longest minutes of my life. But I was fine. And when I got home I sent a little thank you note.<br />
<br />
And then I sat down and blogged about it, for all the world to read.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-33109178344219917352011-06-04T14:56:00.000-07:002011-06-04T14:57:37.866-07:00Saturday Safari<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7baq2cwVYU3vSO5O1GTziqTLO0sDxRhGK9NSplRzN-iC6VQbqJFkMLEwtfukP0FI7afI2oymmgfwzN-QvXYWzhFQUnks8F70fZxTPo1shB-WHgJk3h8BfIun7zJMZ5nbJkAZg5r9VEPt/s1600/Water+Tower+Benches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7baq2cwVYU3vSO5O1GTziqTLO0sDxRhGK9NSplRzN-iC6VQbqJFkMLEwtfukP0FI7afI2oymmgfwzN-QvXYWzhFQUnks8F70fZxTPo1shB-WHgJk3h8BfIun7zJMZ5nbJkAZg5r9VEPt/s400/Water+Tower+Benches.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The past several months have been all about computer work. Refining retouching techniques, writing, designing marketing materials. And more so the last two weeks with the news that my job will be coming to an end soon. Resumes and cover letters do not write themselves. I am pleased to report, on that front at least, this past week has been a very good week. I don't want to jinx anything, but let's just say that I'm happy with my progress.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So much so that has been virtually no time to send out resumes. I have a list of twenty five that I need to get out this weekend. But it also felt like I haven't seen the light of day in ages, so I decided to let the resumes wait and to take the old camera out for a spin.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My favorite place in the city is Michigan Avenue. I find it both invigorating and relaxing. It just feels like life with an exclamation point. So, I went to sit at the pumping station and snap shots of whatever happened past. I love this shot for the color.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Note to self: there is more to life than work. Especially when there are red hats to take pictures of!</div>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-66758756124156476192011-05-27T19:13:00.000-07:002011-05-27T19:13:40.819-07:00AnalyticsSo I am sending out resumes like a mad man.<br />
<br />
A week ago it was announced that my company will be relocating the corporate headquarters to California. They offered to take me along, but I'm a Midwestern boy at heart. I'm just not done in Chicago.<br />
<br />
So I'm sending out resumes.<br />
<br />
I have always enjoyed looking for a new job. I love getting that first phone call. It's validation. I love hearing about how someone sees my skills benefiting their organizations. Because I have never been about building a career and more about collecting experiences, I have a very interesting resume. There aren't many like it. In essence, I've done everything.<br />
<br />
But with a job search there is also an element of anticipation that can be exhausting. With the ability to do a lot of different things comes the blessing/curse that my resume almost fits a lot of jobs, but doesn't exactly fit many. It takes a smart, creative hiring manager to look at my resume and see the benefits. Sadly, there aren't a lot of smart hiring managers out there. That's OK. I've worked for not-smart managers before. It's not fun. <br />
<br />
Still, the anticipation can be brutal. But now, at least there is something of a gauge that gives me an indication of how my resumes might be received. Something more than the ringing of the phone.<br />
<br />
Several weeks ago I launched my new website, with a brand new URL. The only way someone is going to find it is if I've told them about it, or if they do a search for my entire name. When I launched it, I also attached some analytics tags to it. Now I can see how much activity my site is receiving and where it's coming from. Watching the increase in activity is telling me that my resume is being actively reviewed. And the amount of time spent on the site gives me an indication as to how much interest a single visitor might have.<br />
<br />
But I already knew that my resume was being positively received. In a week, I received five calls. That feels really good. It means that I have the luxury to be selective. I like that. But I also like knowing that even if someone isn't calling, they were interested enough to take a look at the website. Even more excited if they've stopped by the blog!<br />
<br />
If you're a potential employer reading this: Pick up the phone! I'd love to talk to you.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-51150309980230903332011-05-16T04:31:00.000-07:002011-05-16T04:35:00.200-07:00Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1nXWiEJvJdcWdrbUNH_uWuJaAeF3QEaUkAHZx_VtJUUqUzdRhRad2BcX5NIUMQXIpld5NypZ-r-0w6IL_hXFxn9j0T3RCHeEv8imuSTG8BpEqViVheLk8cW4RMGOjMU2j9_OAa6A5w5M/s1600/Composite+Duo+Rocks+v+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1nXWiEJvJdcWdrbUNH_uWuJaAeF3QEaUkAHZx_VtJUUqUzdRhRad2BcX5NIUMQXIpld5NypZ-r-0w6IL_hXFxn9j0T3RCHeEv8imuSTG8BpEqViVheLk8cW4RMGOjMU2j9_OAa6A5w5M/s320/Composite+Duo+Rocks+v+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I find that the more I know how to do, the more I want to do.<br />
<br />
This shot is the first of the series. The idea was to mock up a Calvin Klein campaign, making $200 look like $30,000. Or how ever much is spent on a Calvin Klein campaign. In the imagining of this project, I was thinking that Calvin Klein was desperately tired of the black and white, model in a pair of briefs against a gray background and begged me (in my fantasy there are tears) to come up with something fresh.<br />
<br />
It was cold at the lake. And the t-shirts would not cooperate and kept falling over the waistbands. This is an image that would definitely have to rely on text. Still, the color of the waistbands pop and draw the focus in the image.<br />
<br />
The trick was getting a decent shot of the two models in the same frame. Ultimately this shot is pieced together from four different frames: the base, an addition on the left side of the frame, a change in the blond model's head position, and a recreation of the blue waistband. <br />
<br />
Then there are a few other editing tricks that I'll leave to you to find. I can't give everything away.<br />
<br />
A couple of years ago, when I did a shoot at the same location, I wouldn't have been able to do any of the things that I did in this shot. I had no clue and could barely press the button on the camera. Now, I know what I need, what I can afford, and where I can compensate with computer skills.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-16551720420522585742011-05-08T07:12:00.000-07:002011-05-08T07:12:37.676-07:00Professionalism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW-SybeuGOASxjrU5jWWjhWIMJtBrQoWbjsZzefPNESqKvXq0FU1S8kk73nMe5IPo8ze0rwcdrckFfiMpO5hUNdWB3TvoqWQ8VS5Y3PLvAKgrLTo7EDU5556AP7nTsXol9KudZLzGdTUv/s1600/Torso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW-SybeuGOASxjrU5jWWjhWIMJtBrQoWbjsZzefPNESqKvXq0FU1S8kk73nMe5IPo8ze0rwcdrckFfiMpO5hUNdWB3TvoqWQ8VS5Y3PLvAKgrLTo7EDU5556AP7nTsXol9KudZLzGdTUv/s320/Torso.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
How many models does it take to have a successful photo shoot? Three. That's why you book five and thank God when two show up.<br />
<br />
For the last few months all of my professional development has been focused on the digital side -- especially editing. That means things like the actual taking of pictures -- not to mention writing -- have all fallen by the wayside. As a result, a few weeks ago I felt like my portfolio was woefully outdated and in need of fresh material. Plus, in January I'd purchased a new strobe and hadn't even used it.<br />
<br />
So, I trotted over to Model Mayhem and posted a notice. Developing a photo portfolio on a budget is a challenge. Trying to make two hundred dollars look like a thirty thousand dollar campaign isn't easy, and I won't pretend that I come even close. That said, for this project I felt like I needed to devote the budget to the talent and not the equipment.<br />
<br />
I received about a dozen responses, but nothing that I was looking for. Great guys, I'm sure, but not underwear model material. Why male underwear models? Inexpensive wardrobe, no hair or make-up. So I sent out personal invitations. I was surprised at the number of models who actually responded and were interested. That was a good sign.<br />
<br />
But, male models tend to be less reliable. I wanted three models. In my experience when booking multiple models, about half show up. It doesn't seem to matter whether there is pay involved or not. Last year I did a shoot and I wanted six models. I booked fifteen. Five showed up on time and the sixth arrived an hour late. Since I was paying these guys with copies of the photos, I incorporated the sixth into the mix. I was happy with the shoot.<br />
<br />
This time around I was paying. Not a lot, but I was organized and knew that I could knock the photos out quickly. I figured my budget could handle five models if all showed up, but planned on three.<br />
<br />
I got two on time. And fortunately they were the two with the strongest portfolios. We knocked the shots out and I'm very pleased with their work.<br />
<br />
Now to be fair, the third did show up. An hour late. Since all of the group shots were done, I sent him away. Number four sent me an e-mail at midnight the night before the shoot saying he didn't realize how far he'd have to travel and wouldn't make it.<br />
<br />
Number five? Nothing.<br />
<br />
So, in the grand scheme of things, it actually worked out pretty well. Although I got fewer than half, at least four responded in some way. Usually half just disappear. Progress.<br />
<br />
Fortunately it seems that professionalism and talent go hand in hand.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-61587406570664174442011-04-23T18:13:00.000-07:002011-04-23T18:13:58.456-07:00One Flea Spare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkijeodiMBZ51O8VlX9TjTH5xP8ODSQfYS6JTgZQ9qmj_UBk7zEhMvbtUvmjzqxx1JG8MGMseIj4KhAcsOq5PCfUmG218f6GFzhiizdjelmZu-hazyHfuDHy3k_BA_2n2J5ZTFwo5D7jE/s1600/Flea+1+wix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkijeodiMBZ51O8VlX9TjTH5xP8ODSQfYS6JTgZQ9qmj_UBk7zEhMvbtUvmjzqxx1JG8MGMseIj4KhAcsOq5PCfUmG218f6GFzhiizdjelmZu-hazyHfuDHy3k_BA_2n2J5ZTFwo5D7jE/s320/Flea+1+wix.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Have you seen <i>One Flea Spare</i> yet? It's a must see at The Greenhouse.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-40471296383656725452011-04-16T11:41:00.000-07:002011-04-16T11:41:33.519-07:00Re-titledSo, we're evolving away from the Archetype Images theme. As my interests and skills grow, I think it's important that I follow the industry standard and use my name as a brand. I'm not thrilled about it, but it does seem to be the only way to establish myself as an artistic entity. So, I've retitled the blog. Now I just have to figure out how to link the blog to the new website.<br />
<br />
I still have a lot of faith in the archetype concept. I think that ultimately that's what every visual artist is working toward -- capturing an archetype image. Still, such toney conceptual thinking isn't putting much coin into my pocket. Time to step up my game.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-52925003776370693062011-04-12T12:22:00.001-07:002011-04-12T12:23:30.425-07:00ConstraintsI'm finding that working with constraints can be liberating. Certain decisions are simply out of the question, requiring more patience and creativity. Some of the best art is the product of constraints.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-66673242006896509972011-03-30T05:19:00.000-07:002011-05-16T04:38:40.826-07:00I Am Not An Artist<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lq_cBWxpfwH9CqRtH1a_5extEdhExh4xh3TZf1DQHWnFdmdHOMyLL5xQEjXMOZrm4wxagVJaL1lY1mfwIVoMPESFLETKvmgrfHPMGxJ2_y-L45R7LcDcpccU4s-q1bL4megSiiR9l0i4/s1600/Project+2+Chapter+2+Composite.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589846737322502322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lq_cBWxpfwH9CqRtH1a_5extEdhExh4xh3TZf1DQHWnFdmdHOMyLL5xQEjXMOZrm4wxagVJaL1lY1mfwIVoMPESFLETKvmgrfHPMGxJ2_y-L45R7LcDcpccU4s-q1bL4megSiiR9l0i4/s400/Project+2+Chapter+2+Composite.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 309px;" /></a>The past few weeks have been dedicated to expanding my Photoshop knowledge. To that end I've been studying several different books to beef up my abilities. Much, much to learn. Above is an assignment out of one of those books that took me about a week to complete. A real artist probably could have done it in an hour. Still, I got a lot out of the exercise. I am now on the third text that exceeds five hundred pages. I'm on page forty to be precise. And the clock is ticking loudly on the second play that I promised to have drafted by Memorial Day.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>What's a camera?</div>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-57748967124116764022011-03-24T02:27:00.000-07:002011-03-24T02:54:46.930-07:00Elizabeth Taylor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8tBoAVIRhXQjeaJ7d2vv4SVNbgTC4JGK_mfzvovQUYLn0VHjO8kGMjJ0AUrx9isOyhEheWyVUWXY9LaYvyYvGxsciFue8gt28NHcqQcNtsOwcxi6eW66jhbEhm4RF9VLYoqCLvMzFd9l/s1600/elizabeth_taylor_02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8tBoAVIRhXQjeaJ7d2vv4SVNbgTC4JGK_mfzvovQUYLn0VHjO8kGMjJ0AUrx9isOyhEheWyVUWXY9LaYvyYvGxsciFue8gt28NHcqQcNtsOwcxi6eW66jhbEhm4RF9VLYoqCLvMzFd9l/s400/elizabeth_taylor_02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587575985605428130" /></a>I've never been one to publicly mourn the passing of a celebrity. That said, Elizabeth Taylor died yesterday and attention must be paid.<div><br /></div><div>I can't say that I held her in much regard as an actress. She was all right, but no Davis or Hepburn, or even Monroe. With the exception of <i>Virginia Woolf</i> I always found her performances a little too self aware. My favorite performance is as Maggie in <i>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.</i> Without a doubt a flawed performance, but still strong and she more than holds her own with Newman and Ives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Her beauty is remarkable, but there have been others and will be more. Noting a woman because of her looks is demeaning. Elizabeth Taylor was so much more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Taylor embodies power and strength. The Elizabeth Taylor story is one of incredible success. A product of the Hollywood studio system, she managed to bridge the gap from glamorous indentured servant to media tycoon. In a way that Marilyn Monroe never did, Elizabeth Taylor harnessed the energy of the public's desire for her and turned it into immeasurable power. She did it at a time that was less permissive in general and downright oppressive for women. Several times during her life she tried to sublimate her power in favor of conforming to societal norms for women, and always with disastrous results. But in her fifties she embraced, harnessed, and used her power, first by exploding her corporate presence and then directing her energies into philanthropy. And she did it as a lady. Without her there could be no Madonna or Hillary Rodham Clinton. Or Sarah Palin.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Taylor's strength is best told in the story of AIDS. In the 1980's, when no one -- no one -- was addressing the issue, Elizabeth Taylor stood up and dared to speak its name. She went before Congress and demanded funds for research, and when she found the official world response lacking she forged ahead and raised the funds for research herself. Long before there were red ribbons and walkathons and bikeathons, there was Elizabeth Taylor.</div><div><br /></div><div>But on an even subtler level Elizabeth Taylor blazed the way for the general public to accepting the LGBT community. When Rock Hudson announced that he had AIDS, the real shock to American culture wasn't that he was sick and dying. It was that he was gay. Elizabeth Taylor didn't publicly embrace her friend in a demonstration of acceptance of his sexuality. By embracing her friend in response to his ailment, she helped the world set aside its petty labelizing and showed the world what was truly important. Love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Taylor led by example in so many, many ways. We didn't just lose a celebrity, or an icon. We lost a great American.</div>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-42105027477156384852011-03-02T18:45:00.000-08:002011-03-02T18:49:58.923-08:00InvestmentSo the past month has been all about studying <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Photoshop</span>. Exhausting. But much, much progress. And a new light! My first strobe, with a second on the way. The one I want is oh-so expensive, but is the workhorse that I read I need. Or I could go with a less expensive model and scrape by. Nope! I'm buying the good piece of equipment. Even if I have to wait a few more weeks to make it happen. Major investment, but in the end so worth it.<div><br /></div><div>And this weekend, regardless of the weather, I will be making my first photo safari of the year. It's time to get my butt in gear and expand that portfolio. It seems like for every photo I put in, I pull out two. The eye is developing faster than the output.</div><div><br /></div><div>And my play is languishing! But it's in there, just waiting for me to sit down and get to work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why are there only twenty-four hours in a day?</div>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-47777920801112636122011-02-05T06:41:00.000-08:002011-02-05T06:45:38.328-08:00Growth and Evolution<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLoLpZ3JAx4DyKnv1NPN3woTpfxUxzqLTVSnMuCbf2GqOVe-03XryI1MbkPQZVCmQMGZ5nlohwIpoP-lLtDVC47FzbLszC6OEhHxKSV_UfjtcjA0oYN1akN8rOsG2Skq8hf6g2MKchaUC/s1600/Candace+1+web.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570215687550093042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLoLpZ3JAx4DyKnv1NPN3woTpfxUxzqLTVSnMuCbf2GqOVe-03XryI1MbkPQZVCmQMGZ5nlohwIpoP-lLtDVC47FzbLszC6OEhHxKSV_UfjtcjA0oYN1akN8rOsG2Skq8hf6g2MKchaUC/s400/Candace+1+web.jpg" /></a> I'm not a writer. I'm not a photographer. I'm a portfolio updater.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-85322622414512995512011-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:002011-02-01T07:45:18.705-08:00RejectionMy play received its first rejection. In a way that was kind of comforting. Rejection is part of the process, and it might mean the end of the road for this project at this location, in the overall scheme of things it means that I'm still participating. I got a standard electronic rejection instead of silence! Although it was from a super-major theatre in New York where I had less than a one percent chance of even being read, let alone produced, there was still a bit of a sting to the form e-mail telling me that they were not interested. It may have even been automatically generated without anyone so much as opening my submission.<br /><br />Still, it's tangible proof that I'm participating -- and that feels good.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-2788430236799470242011-01-23T07:05:00.000-08:002011-01-23T07:16:06.673-08:00Salvage<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq8UgyXovNemDSjeXKH7RKoKmMVOY2pOBqS6s4jvB3OkLHXdtawY1kv7TAMj7WG4086gMZWEVsK8ogRobgzuWZoG007Aw5GMbtPeZ_Hil_TKPETbDx2hK5La2bv9n9fyAyJDI5NIJvafl/s1600/William+7+-2011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565397867184844434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq8UgyXovNemDSjeXKH7RKoKmMVOY2pOBqS6s4jvB3OkLHXdtawY1kv7TAMj7WG4086gMZWEVsK8ogRobgzuWZoG007Aw5GMbtPeZ_Hil_TKPETbDx2hK5La2bv9n9fyAyJDI5NIJvafl/s400/William+7+-2011.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I am cyclical. By that I mean that I immerse myself in something until I have absorbed as much as I can possibly hold...and then I'm done for a while. It's true with just about everything in my life, from writing to photography to pizza. Can't get enough...and then I'm done.</div><div> </div><div>The photo above was taken in a period when I should have stopped. What you see is <em>not</em> what came out of the camera. I was uninspired. The lighting was uninspired. The model was uninspired. It was snowing outside and the only thing I really wanted to do was curl up on the couch and watch endless episodes of "Law & Order." Still, I felt like I needed to get some work done, so I hired a model and came up with an idea that simply did not pan out.</div><div> </div><div>Still, I didn't destroy the files. I new that there was something there, and that in time I'd figure it out. Never say never is my motto.</div><div> </div><div>And in the past year I've been studying magazines. In particular <em>Vogue</em> and <em>Vanity Fair.</em> I'm on a five-year mission to shoot the cover of Vanity Fair, and I have about three years and nine months left. That clock ticks louder every day. And it was in response to that clock that I hired a model and hung a backdrop. And then buried myself in other photographers' work for about a year.</div><div> </div><div>I can't remember the layout, but it was in <em>Vogue, </em>and the image was similar to the above. Suddenly it became clear to me that photography did not need to be crisp and clean all the time. That sometimes, focus can and should be manipulated.</div><div> </div><div>And I've decided that is a great philosophy to apply to life. Some things need examination and reflection. And some do not. And sometimes you just need to put things in a drawer and let them mature.</div><div> </div><div>The more I look at this photo, the more I love it. It represents more to me than a model in a bad white jacket. It demonstrates much, much more to me than that.</div><div> </div><div>It's all about focus. And timing. And patience.</div>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-53768655510343947072011-01-20T03:51:00.000-08:002011-01-20T04:03:25.506-08:00The Return of the AWOL Photographer<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXKwBbRV-8qqm-4yrwul3ty5mS-QvYZGilWIh0tBZK8ZNv76SA-Z8CrjJAzQ4ghB3Y9gSmRk-gVbZyWI5CON9GpkV-SF7B2y6b4r5C8EzvIpN-kQhi_4l8vPPRYMOlhjFYbQCfbCPs4ji/s1600/Lars+11x14.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564234783099387778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXKwBbRV-8qqm-4yrwul3ty5mS-QvYZGilWIh0tBZK8ZNv76SA-Z8CrjJAzQ4ghB3Y9gSmRk-gVbZyWI5CON9GpkV-SF7B2y6b4r5C8EzvIpN-kQhi_4l8vPPRYMOlhjFYbQCfbCPs4ji/s400/Lars+11x14.jpg" /></a></div><p>Oh, gentle reader, how you must feel neglected. And rightfully so. But do not think that just because I've been neglectful of you that I've been ignoring my crafts. Not true! Much has been going on!</p><p>Above, you see a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">headshot</span> for Lars. Lars, along with a group of actors from Norway, came to study theatre in Chicago. The long and the short of their visit is that they each fell in love with Chicago and the theatre scene. And before they returned to Norway for the holidays and then to Berlin for more study, they contacted me to do their <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">headshots</span>. These were my kind of actors.</p><p>Of course the industry is quite a bit different in Norway than it is in the United States. Still these brash young actors weren't afraid to try something different in the way of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">headshots</span>. Because we were in Chicago, we did the classic natural light mugshot that is required, but we also were able to do something that was representative of who each actor is an artist. Lars wanted something that was suitable for his music career as well.</p><p>A bit extreme? Perhaps. But for those actors who are wanting to work for experimental storefront theatre in Chicago, which <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">headshot</span> is going to get the director to flip it over and give the resume a look? This, or the natural light mugshot?</p>Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-26232773146794300662010-10-04T03:42:00.001-07:002010-10-04T03:56:47.269-07:00SubmissionsI've been sending my stuff out for a while. Short stories, photos. Back in the day, as they say, I'd send out headshots and resumes. It's part of the gig.<br /><br />But, back in the day, my stuff went into the mailbox on Monday and by Wednesday I'd be huddled by the phone waiting for the offers to come in. By the following Monday I'd be contemplating an MBA and wondering if I wouldn't be better off moving back to Des Moines. Sometimes silence is more brutal than rejection. At least with a rejection, there's an acknowledgement.<br /><br />It's like auditioning. You can spend weeks putting together a repertoire of audition pieces, honing them down to ninety seconds and developing a matrix of combinations so that no matter what the audition situation you're prepared, and then spend months wondering why you're not being called back.<br /><br />Then I went into human resources and spent weeks sifting through resumes and realized, more often than not, nine times out of ten, silence has nothing to do with the resume and everything to do with the target. If the target is very specific, the resume has to be too. If the target is very specific, then the headshot has to be as well. If the target is very specific, then the script/short story/novel must be as well.<br /><br />Generalities will get you sent to the 'no' pile. But if your resume/headshot/script/short story/novel doesn't hit the target, it's not because it's not good. It's not because it's not specific. It just simply does not hit the mark. They wanted steak and you're offering sushi. Next.<br /><br />It took a long time to figure this out, but when I was an actor my job wasn't to be a star. My job wasn't even to work in a small, non-Equity storefront production of <em>Hamlet</em> to be seen by six people. My job was to audition. That was the work. And over the years I found enjoyment and satisfaction in simply auditioning. The preparation and the two minutes I had in front of casting staff was the sum total of the work. And I learned to love it.<br /><br />I'd like to tell you that once I released all expectations of the audition I was cast more frequently. I wasn't. But I was less frustrated. I enjoyed being an actor more.<br /><br />Now that I'm submitting my writing, it's the same thing. The job is the creation. The job is keeping organized and sending my stuff out. That is the work. The rest is whipped cream on the sundae. And pay is the cherry on top.<br /><br />Of course, I can't deny that the goal was, is, and always will be not getting the cherry on top of the sundae, but landing in the bowl where that cherry came from. But that's a whole other post.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-13816270995712574542010-09-25T16:07:00.001-07:002010-09-25T16:38:50.676-07:00The ReadingIt has been at least a decade since I've attended a play reading. And today a group of actors got together to read a play. A play that I had written.<br /><br />Oftentimes I have emotions that I don't know I'm having, but I usually have a sense that something is going on when I can't sleep. Last night I couldn't sleep. I drifted off sometime around five in the morning and tossed and turned until nearly eight. Then I got up and raced around the house, trying to get ready for everyone who was arriving. Arriving to read my play.<br /><br />I have been working on this script off and on for the better part of a year. Sometimes getting nothing more than three or four lines of dialogue down at a time. The bulk of the work happened over the summer, in July and August. In the middle of August I began to feel my energy wane and I knew I needed a deadline. I set a reading date and began to think of actors I wanted to read to me.<br /><br />I was lucky. With only one exception, I got the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">initial</span> actors I asked to read. And in the one case where I was turned down, the actor had been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that nothing could interrupt, and my second choice wasn't really settling for a second choice at all. She was just someone different, who did a brilliant job handling some of the most difficult material in the script. But having the six actors agree to read these roles crystallized things for me. One character made a radical transformation -- for the better -- simply because I had a face for the character. And having six very talented and smart actors agreeing to read my script really required me to turn out my best effort. I've written a number of small pieces, but this is the first time I've written something that I really feel proud of. There is almost nothing of my personal story in this play, and yet hearing it today I could suddenly see myself all over it.<br /><br />As the cast began to read, I was nervous. It took every ounce of control I had not to ask them to stop, thank them for coming and tear up each copy of the script. I heard very little of the first two pages because I kept thinking to myself, "Who do you think you are? You have no business telling a story." Then practicality kicked in and I began to time the script. I had to trust that the actors could carry it.<br /><br />The first ten pages, which probably accounts for the first fifteen minutes, I decided were terrible as they were being read. It wasn't the actors' fault. They had brittle dialogue in an overly dramatic story. It creaked with exposition. I could hear clunker lines that didn't fit. There were phrases that were painfully over-written and the first half is riddled with redundancies.<br /><br />And then one of the actors read a line, and it was right. There was emotion connected to it. And not just an actor indicating an emotion that she felt should be part of the line. It was the bud of an actual emotion. And suddenly actors who had never met before today connected and I could see the relationship. And they laughed. The actors laughed where I intended laughs and found laughs that I didn't know were there.<br /><br />And when we finished, I fed them. And then we spent more than an hour talking about the play. And I listened. I asked a few questions. I'm grateful that I didn't have to explain too much, but these smart, talented actors confirmed my own opinions on a lot of points, pointed out a couple of crucial areas that need attention, and they talked like actors. I loved it.<br /><br />Today was one of the best days of the year, and I have to thank Julia <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Maish</span>, Nina <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">O'Keefe</span>, Sally <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Eames</span>, Chad Ramsey, Shaun <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Baer</span>, and Nat Swift for working for the price of a taco and providing me the input I needed to finish this play. I wish I had the opportunity to work with these actors to put this play up on the stage. It can never happen. Lives and professional obligations simply will never allow me to work with this collection of actors on this script, but I am incredibly grateful that I got to work with them for an afternoon. Incredibly grateful.<br /><br />The finish line isn't nearly as far away as I feared it might be, and not as close as I'd like. But now I am ready for the hard work. And because of today I now feel like I have the right to tell this story.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-85469349841763361842010-09-18T07:57:00.001-07:002010-09-18T08:09:49.558-07:00The Creative ProcessRight now, it's all about the words for me. Except for paying gigs, I haven't touched my camera in weeks, but I find I'm not thinking in images right now. I'm thinking in words and concepts. I'm hoping that one cycle informs the other. I think that it will.<br /><br /><em>The Void Dance</em> is resting right now. The latest draft was finished about two weeks ago and I have eight copies printed, ready for the reading next Saturday. I have sworn not to touch it until I hear it. I'm very lucky that I have six very smart, talented actors coming over to read this script to me. They've had electronic copies for about two weeks and I've not heard a word from any of them. I'm hoping that doesn't mean they're all trying to figure out graceful ways to back out. Or that they've taken one look at the script and then immediately went blind from the horror I've perpetrated on the page. It probably just means that none of them have read it yet.<br /><br />But if all goes well, there won't be too much revision to the structure of the play and if there is anything major that needs to be done, it's simply style and word choice. I know there are two major chunks that I want to take a particular look at once the reading is over.<br /><br />So far one person has read it and provided sparse, stoic feedback. "Good play. Strong characters." And she identified one of the sections I also feel needs attention. But she's insanely busy and I'm taking the fact that she started it, finished it, and was able to provide four words of comment as a good thing. I hope it's a good thing. I want this script to be better than good.<br /><br />So, to distract myself I've started on another script. Eleven characters. While it is in no way biographical, details from my past are informing how it's flowing. <em>Void</em> had a very clear structure even before I started writing. This one...not so much. I'm sort of feeling very Kaufman and Hart, but I don't think that a modern, three-hour comedy will sell today. Still keeping the Chicago non-Equity theatre in mind, so for me it's critical that all eleven characters are compelling and dynamic so that good actors will want to play them. Technical requirements to a minimum. Focus on the text and the actor -- the cheapest commodities in Chicago Theatre.<br /><br />But I can begin to feel the pull back to the camera. I have two projects cued up, and I'd like to get them both shot, if not edited, before the end of November. The end of November feels both a life time and twenty minutes away.<br /><br />OK. Back to work.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-61964305790652292202010-08-27T04:52:00.000-07:002010-08-27T05:14:40.509-07:00UpdateDon't you hate people who neglect their blogs? I mean, what's the point of getting all emotionally invested in a blog only to have the writer blissfully ignore you? Doesn't the writer understand that you have needs?<br /><br />Well, here's the deal: For the past few months I've been wearing my playwrighting hat, almost to the exclusion of everything else. I'm like that four-year-old who will only wear his Elmo t-shirt. Only the Elmo t-shirt. I WANT MY ELMO T-SHIRT!!! Only right now it's with my play.<br /><br />I don't dare share any real details about the play at this point because it's at the stage where I'm beginning to ask myself what right I have to ever think I have the intellect or authority to create a play. Who am I to take up the work of Williams and Shakespeare?<br /><br />But then when I either slip out (or into, depending on your point of view) madness and get back to work.<br /><br />It seems to be going well. There is never a question of what needs to be done, and always a question of how to do it. But all of the characters have been named, which is an epic event for me because that means they can finally start to take ownership of the play. I can tell you that there are six characters. Three of them have made radical transformations since the beginning of this process, which I think is good. The story has been fully told - all of the dramatic beats are in place, and now I'm working backwards to make sure that the high points for each of the characters is in place and to make sure there is a logic to the flow. Then the next step is to go through the text as each character and make sure there is an inner logic for each. For me the final step will be to polish the language, because right now all of the characters sound like me. That's the part the frightens me the most because of the six characters, only two have distinct voices right now. And the character I believe to be the most difficult to play is also proving to be the most difficult to write.<br /><br />Oh, and just between us -- as a little reward for your attentiveness and loyalty -- I'll announce the title here.<br /><br /><em>The Void Dance.</em><br /><br />But that's all you get. That will have to hold you until after the first reading, which with any luck I'll have in September.<br /><br />But until that time, I'm not likely to take off my playwrighting Elmo t-shirt and put on my photographer equivalent.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810129882529027025.post-48932498645277120482010-07-06T11:17:00.000-07:002010-07-06T11:22:38.578-07:00More Inspiration<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7nTQ0mbhvVPzpMiElcIzeyDuC77tehx3GHusugQ6zwN-s5zAccW3czPa6szPcERh4ycGaPOUl7qDdLXQ4oduUVtuG9goZYGJTEttXrDH-xRK4gyg8obulwWvmMm2XuJ-A-li7O764RoL/s1600/Basketball.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490859281567617858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7nTQ0mbhvVPzpMiElcIzeyDuC77tehx3GHusugQ6zwN-s5zAccW3czPa6szPcERh4ycGaPOUl7qDdLXQ4oduUVtuG9goZYGJTEttXrDH-xRK4gyg8obulwWvmMm2XuJ-A-li7O764RoL/s400/Basketball.jpg" /></a> The other day I got on my bike and rode along the lake. It could not have been more perfect. I had a chicken lunch in my backpack and my old camera with me. Recently I read about an exercise of limiting yourself to thirty-six frames when shooting. With digital cameras, it is no longer necessary to take time framing a shot. You can just snap away and hope for the best. I want to be better than that.<br /><br />This shot is in no way a great work of art. Still, this girl is inspiring. In spite of all of the obvious challenges she faces, the least of which is a broken arm, she was out on the court waiting for a pick up game. Eventually a couple of kids came along. While they wouldn't play an actual game with her, they did shoot hoops. And she held her own against them.<br /><br />I don't know who she is, but I love her. An inspiration.Mission Statementhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15945249125615835015noreply@blogger.com0