tripods

So in early September, I wrote a blog post then realized it focused on every wrinkle and fold (plus lint) in my own navel. Gee, self-absorbed, much?

Many blogs are beautifully done, professional layout and graphics, and focus on sharing information: crafts, home design, tech or science stuff, parenting, ad infinitum. RSS feeds and 20K followers, hurray! Alongside my own form of navel-gazing, my intentions have been to include my fellow creative-persons – or to fascinate those who simply like to glimpse into our puzzling, twisted minds, er, processes.

“So Bree, how’s the writing going? Still working on ‘the book’?”

Honestly? My brain, soul, spirit, desk – whatever – is still cluttered up and constipated when it comes to Writing. Don’t ask why…I don’t know myself and am real tired of being an omphaloskepsist.

That’s right, navel-gazing is an actual thing, even kind of spiritual! There are even statues in the Louvre of burly half-clad males doing it (thank you, Wiki) “Omphaloskepsis is contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omphaloskepsis

But, writing aside, Creativity must be expressed somehow, if ya got a tendency towards such, you right-brained humans, or ya might just implode. Thus, I’ve been working on Photography (Once again. sigh.). Went to an airshow to build a new portfolio of aircraft pics with Little Red (my new Nikon D3300). Was very much aware of how non-technical my skill is, seeing people (all were guys for some reason) traipsing about with Very Large Lenses and Very Long Tripods, jauntily hooked over a shoulder, adjusting dials & crap on their devices and looking, well, professional.

I tried to appear so, even turned my ballcap backwards with the best of them and got all hunkered down and contorted for those “special” shots. Got a few nice pics, but sales will tell, won’t they? Was forced to learn how to use the “Continuous/Sport” setting when my hubby wanted shots of the aircraft actually flying. (Flying at an airshow? What a concept) I care only for parts of airplanes; props, colors, nosecones, wing-cockpit conformations; the sculptural aspect of aircraft. But for my hubs, I gave the flying shots a try.

Lifesaver/camera continued, I took first birthday pics of our grandson at his party. Didn’t get nearly as many of our baby as I wanted – didn’t even get a good one with his Nana! (Because Nana was the, ahem, photographer) Went to a [free] Nikon class, tried out using a tripod on fall leaves scenery. Posted too many pics and opinions, including navel-gazing, on *that* site. Spent mucho-chrono (that’s ‘a lot of time’) in editing said pics and putting on Aerie Images.

Painted some furniture. Researched painting furniture a-la-chalk paint. Sewed burlap pillows for a etsy order. Stared at the cluttered freakin’ mess of my studio-office; sank into denial. Read a dozen novels. Compared mine to some of them. Got sad. Got over being sad, some of the time.

Focused a LOT on my weight-loss discipline, learning stuff about that, and started a weight training class. Yahoo to losing 14 lbs! (That’s “1 st” [stone] to you in the UK. Don’t get stuck-up about “being Metric” ‘cos you use weird measurements too)

And thinking, thinking about my current novel that’s stuck on 4041K. Thought about setting it aside and pulling out a more finished novel, a romantic-suspense sort of thing (if I MUST label it). Problem is, if I stop thinking/writing/researching the current novel, I will lose the feel and flow of it. “New perspective” be damned, I don’t have that much time to keep setting things aside, I’m almost SIX DECADES old.

Or this: GIVE UP ON WRITING & MOVE ON. And thus, give up the Acid Guilt that not-writing causes me. OR it will morph into Guilt at Giving Up Again. From whence comes all this guilt?? I wasn’t even raised Catholic! Anybody relating much?

So just WHO am I? Who are you? A writer? An artist? A photographer? Or just a Person who likes Creating. That just may be enough for now.