Janet

A Chorus Line

All together now,

Sing your heart out, chirp, and whirl…

We’re on Broadway now!

I had some fun earlier with a color palette that I put together and a dancer that I converted into a shape in Photoshop (I’m learning a few new things in a summer class in case you couldn’t tell). If you’re into color, there is a great site that generates color palettes for you in a fun and simple way, and it’s called Coolors. And it is the coolest.

Here’s the palette that I created for the image above:

It was not my intention to create a background that looked EXACTLY like the palette (i.e. a bunch of rectangles), but once it was imported into Photoshop I thought it looked cool—so I duplicated it by using rectangles and fill. The effects process changed the shades ever so slightly, but they’re close enough.

Anyway, I don’t usually get into my processes, but I thought I would share that tidbit of information along with my Haiku, just for those who are interested. I’d love to do a series (here we go again) where I share some of the tips and tricks that I’ve learned in my classes thus far. What fun is learning if you can’t share it with someone? Right?! We’ll see. If anyone is interested, let me know.

That’s about all for now.

One can speak poetry just by arranging colors well, just as one can say comforting things in music.
Vincent van Gogh

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Chirp & Sing

Windows of Time

There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this… Sometimes you can feel such a moment coming.
Fallen, 1998

I’m excited about this addition to my new and totally random series called “Windows.” I have to say that finding windows that are interesting enough to photograph (and talk about) isn’t as easy as I thought. After my last post, The Clones, a fellow blogger reminded me of one of the things that is so special about street photography:

“Street photography is special to me because . . . it celebrates humanity – the photos captured are so one of a kind and can never be duplicated again because that person (or people) will never be the same they were in that moment and neither will the setting.“

That is so true, and is actually one of the reasons that I love street photography myself. Looking through a lens—or a Smartphone in this particular case—is like looking through windows of time. You have the opportunity to capture a special moment, a moment that will never happen again. That is absolutely precious, and makes me wonder if some of those people who overdo the selfies understand that concept, because they know they’ll never be in that moment again.

Anyway, I went through and selected four images that I really liked from that night, that can also be tied together, and then I forced myself to do only TWO edits. Cropping, and a black and white conversion using Nik Collection (and some mood setting with contrast and style). I’m really happy with these, and it was an exercise in self-control to not butcher them with my manipulations so that the images remain “pure and unadulterated,” if you will.

So, here are the “windows of time” that I’ve captured with a little “superhero” theme…

This next one made me laugh because these men made a point of approaching the statue to look, but they didn’t feel the need to take a selfie. I gave it a little newspaper effect because these men thought the statue was important enough to look at while most people either take a selfie and move on… or walk by without noticing it.

Lastly… this final photo captures those true superheroes that we all know and love…

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.
Leo Tolstoy

That’s about all for now. I hope you enjoyed these windows of time!

Peace & love to you all…

The Clones

Life among clones would not be worth living, and a sane person will only rejoice that others have abilities that they do not share. That should be elementary.
Noam Chomsky, Chomsky on Anarchism

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Like Dust, a Haiku

He took one last drag,

A piece of his heart, missing.

Gone, like crypto dust.

My son got into crypto awhile back and I’ve been very curious about it. I’ve asked him a lot of questions, and the more he explains things to me, the more I don’t understand. Ha! So, I’ve been looking into it more in my spare time, and I’ve seen the mention of “crypto dust” quite a few times lately. That being said, it was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Drag & Dust.

My artwork is a bit strange. I thought that a man dragging on a cigarette was actually a good metaphor for heartbreak. Kind of like a prisoner’s “last request.” I hope that’s not too gloomy. I hate gloomy. Maybe it’s not a girl that broke his heart… maybe he’s sad because he lost all of his money in the crypto market. I don’t know.

I was going to add smoke, or white dust, but I ended up liking the simplicity of it. Anyway, it felt good to do something spontaneous… so there you have it.

That’s about all for now. Thanks for reading!

—Janet

Rewriting Your Story

The Icing on the Cake

The original writing on this little piece of cyber real estate was published on October 3, 2016. It came to life when I was seven months sober, so it has been parked on WordPress for nearly five years—and it has served as the second mini-chapter of the tale of my recovery—a story that was titled “Unteach Me.”

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Memories Cherished

I can see the roses,

Engraved atop your door,

Like a photograph,

Etched into my mind.

I can feel the warmth,

Of the love that lived inside,

The light flickering through,

Making the petals sway.

The entrance is weathered now,

It’s colors, bleached by the sun.

And paint chips…

They fall like tears.

A lifetime of memories,

We have made here together,

But it is time to move on.

And I will miss you…

My Home Sweet Home.

Welcome to my new series: Windows

First of all, I was inspired to write this poem by Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Home & Weep. I tried to write a Haiku, I really did, but I needed more words. I’ll give that another shot in the next day or two!

The window that I photographed is on a door here at our house, and it is the entrance to my dad’s old workroom. That, in itself, is enough to bring up cherished memories. But I was focusing more on how it must feel when you have to sell the home that you grew up in. A home that has been in the family for generations… seeing a new married couple blossom into pregnancy, and then children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren. I haven’t had to experience this yet, but it is inevitable at some point down the road and I’m sure it will be an emotional time for many of us. I was trying to imagine what will go through our minds when the times comes.

Anyway, I gave the photograph a “sketch” effect to help improve the look of it (the door really is old and weathered) and I’m much happier with it this way. It looks more like a memory than an actual snapshot. I like that.

That’s about all for now. Thanks for reading or stopping by!

Home is not a place, it’s a feeling.